The Game of Death
by The Sixth Alice
Summary: After a catastrophe with a dear friend, Todd, three inhuman women found a pair of young males. They soon became entangled in a web of war and feuds in the magical world of Otros Tierras. Will they ever find peace? T for blood, violence.
1. Preface

Preface

I took a few steps toward Sierra, but stopped. Granted, she was already unconscious in her own secluded room, but I had just fed and might not be able to finish her. If she was left alive, she would spread my secret with that big mouth of hers, which was not something I was about to let her do. So I had a descision: leave her alive for another day, or try to kill her before I left. But then there was still the option that if I couldn't kill her, but took too much without giving any back, she would become a bloodthirsty zombie. Again, not something I was about to let happen. Of all the tough descisions that I had made, this was at the top. But before I could really, consciously agree with the action, my legs were pulling me in my newest victims direction. In a cloud of black, deadly smoke.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I ran through the empty halls in the general direction of the front door. if that demonic teacher, Miss Davis, hadn't held me to talk about my 'weakened devotion to choir', I might not have been running faster than I should have alowed myself to get outside. My ride was going to leave and I would either have to walk normally all the way home, or use my speed to get through the forest. But this time of year, there were to many hikers and/or hunters out to go through the woods, not even in the trees.

I skidded through the doors to see the small black impala at the exit of the parking lot. I waved my hands and shouted, running all the while. I noticed Rosalina look in the mirror before she popped her head out of the window.

"You know, I wouldn't leave if you would be _on time!_" She emphasized it like I was never on time.

"One, you usuall leave before I can even get down from my classroom on a normal day, and two, Miss Davis held me."

"That evil chorus teacher? The one who's fiance had a heart attack after he realized the thing he was marrying might not even be human?"

""Yeah, that one." I said this as I climbed in. She puched it, sending the vehicle dangerously fast down the empty strip of asphalt. if it was anyone else driving, the speed might have concerned me. But this was Rose, and she was slightly more than human.

She noticed my hungry stare out the window. "When did you last feed, Noelle?" I shrugged.

"I think it was two weeks ago. Maybe more. Why?"

"Because you have that ravinous look in your eyes again. Any wierd looks from the other younger-than-you people in there?"

"Yes." She threw me a sidways glance. "Alright, fine! i'll go find a deer or something."

"No, you won't. I know that look. Not only are you hungry, you want to _hunt _today. Not just catch, _hunt_."

"Are you gonna force me to go get another bob cat? Because those are really losing their appeal."

"No." I looked up curiously. "I'm gonna take you up to Georgia and we are gonna get a few mountain lions."

"You mean I am."

"No, I am too. I may not be an adventurous vampire, but I am an adventurous carnivor, and I've never had mountain lion meat before."

"Are you sure it's even edible?"

"I checked into a while ago. I've been waiting for the right moment. I think this is it. And yes, I am positive it is edible. I even checked into that website with all the best eats for a vamp like yourself, and it was #9 on their list."

"Cool." Even I could hear how dull my voice was. I was getting thirsty, and the burning in the back of my throat had intensified by several times. "Can you at least pull over and let me grab _something? _it can be small, I just want something to tide me over."

"No."

"And why not? You had better have a good reason, because if you don't, I think i'll just break your window again. It's not like i'm going to get hurt or anything." She laughed.

"Even though the last time you did that was funny, I do have a good reason. It's because you know I'm writing a book with vampires, and I need accurate information on them to write. I am planning on having a chapter where she ends up half starved and is released to hunt, so I plan to do the same with you. Your actions, your expressions, your movements, everything else about you, I'm going to catalog it all."

"Are you sure you can keep up? i'm feeling like a _real _run today."

"And so am I."

I grumbled to myself. "And so the half-elf author decides to try and keep up with the hungry vampire."

"The hungry vampire who just broke out of a highschool she doesn't even need."

"Hey, if the dang... bleep who changed me could have waited a few months until I graduated, I wouldn't have to pretend I was still the right age for school."

"I really think you can pass for being old enough to be out."

"But pretending I'm just a mature 9th grade kid when I move someplace new buys me about 5 more years in a place. Then people notice I'm not changing as a normal young adult would, and I get stuck with moving again."

"Maybe you should try failing a grade. That might buy you one more year."

"I tried that once, not long after I was changed, way before I met you. It made me lose 2 years, not gain any. Everyone was curious why I suddenly picked up my smart-kid personality again after failing, so they payed extra close attention. Then they noticed the whole aging thing. After the first person asked, I moved. Never tried _that _one again."

"Hmph. Why haven't I heard that story?"

"Because it was a big mistake, and one I learned from big time. I like to keep my trial and error stories to myself unless it comes up."

"And how many other people can it possibly come up with?"

"Todd. Selene. Okay, that's all i've got. But still, it's just me. i've told you, if you try to understand me, you get more confused."

"Believe me, practice has told me that one. You know Selene and I only have so long in a place, too."

"Yeah, but you can alter your appearence to look older if you chose. You just like looking young." We dropped the conversation there. I resumed my hungry staring, noticing all too well the tasty morsels hidden just beyond the tree line. So much blood, so delicious...

it didn't really take long before the tree line started to curve up and down hills, and then even less time before Rose was pulling onto a dirt road and stopping at the end.

"Are you ready?" She asked half-heartedly. She aready knew she wasn't going to get an answer.

i opened the door, sucked in a breath, and pickde up a scent.

"Rose. Remove the spell on my eyes, please." SHe placed a small enchantment on my eyes before I went to school every morning. It weakened my vision so I wouldn't see and jump at every slight movement in the tight place. It also disguised the blood-red color my eyes took after I was changed.

She waved her hand with a sigh, and I felt the magic fade. Suddenly the colors were brighter, the motions stronger, and slight affect on my sense of smell disappeared. The scent I had noticed moments ago flared up even more.

It was almost too easy to let instict replace conscious thought. Memories of feeding times always ended up both blurry and exceptionaly clear at the same time. I lept forward, almost leaving the ground with every step. I hardly noticed Rose's quiet footsteps behind me. She made sure to stop her usual silence when watching me hunt, so that I might not unconsciously turn on her if I suddenly noticed her presence.

I pushed harder on the ground this time, leaving the ground and thouching back down on a high up branch. Using each branch as a small step, I made my way deeper into the forest until the scent was near. I stalled on one branch, aving to put a single hand on it and spin around once to slow my momentum. I glanced down, seeing a small patch of tan fur through the leaves. I slowly dropped down, a branch at a time, trading speed for quiet percision. Rose was even silent behind me. Probably at the other end of the clearing, watching without disturbing me.

I reached the bottom branch of the tree. I was just a few feet above the creatures form. It's head was lowered over pool of water, only 3 feet across. I almost felt guilty for seizing it while it was drinking, but at the same time I wasn't bothered.

I watched it for a moment, just enough to capture the perfect angle of attack. Then I spun half-way around the limb and pushed off from the bottom. The animal didn't notice my presence until I was on top of it. It had barely lifted its head an inch before my fangs sank into the flesh. The feeling of warm blood rushing down your throat was impossible to put into words. The exhileration that came with feeding at the same time as you held your meal through violent thrashing until so much of its blood was drained it could no longer move. It was all just part of the experience of hunting as a vampire.

it was all too soon that it went limp, and I had to kneel and support it to keep my lips attatched. It panted and groaned for a while, before losing all life. I dropped it then, releasing the natural grip my fangs formed in the muscle. I rolled my tounge over the sharp points slightly, just enough to coax them back into my gums. I licked my lips and stood, waving for Rose as an indication that the show was over. She jumped from a tree, as I had guessed, on the opposite side of clearing from me. She stared wide eyed, staying several yards away.

"What?" I pulled the rag from my pocket and wiped my face more thoroughly, to insure nothing had been left behing. The fabric came back clean. "What's wrong, Rose?" She continued to stare. "Rosalina Teniford!" She hated her full name. Her face became angry, but she didn't step forward.

"My name, as far as anyone else is concerned, is Rose."

"Why are you all freaked out?" The angry look dropped instantly, replaced by the same fearful look.

"What was with the eerie black stuff?"

"Black stuff? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It was sort of a smoke. But it was black. And it wasn't merciful like smoke from a fire, it was evil and ready for another death." We staread at each other for a time, before I let my own face become a sign of the anger welling up inside me.

"I am not evil. My blood is evil, my way of feeding is evil, most of the urges I feel since I was changed are evil, but I myself am not evil."

"I didn't say you were. But there was something there, and whether you could see it or it was just my elvish sensitivity to any kind of aroura, magic, and the like, I don't care. But something was there, something from or inside of you, that was deriving too much pleasure from killing anything, any living being out there. Even a weed, I would bet."

i knew I was being fairly child-like, but I ignored the thought and jumped back into the tree, shortening my path from the curves I had talken before to follow the scent to a straight line. in a minute or two, I was standing outside the car, breathing deeply. Rose jumped from the leaves moments later, pressing the remote button to unlock the doors. I almost got in, but suddenly thought of something else.

"Mind if I take an arial route instead?" She groaned.

"I know I can't stop you, but maybe you should be more careful with the shapshifting. It is the middle of a clear day, where the skies are completely visible."

"Yeah, I know. I intend to be extra careful like I always am, an things will be great."

"Like you were with Selene?"

"Hey, she said she knew anyway. How that freaky elf knew, no one knows, but she did before I messed up. And you were right, you really can't stop me." I turned and ran, jumping into the air and letting my body melt into a different form. Soon, I was flying as a great eagle into the sky in the direction of Tampa, Florida.

"What took you two so long?" Selene asked as we stepped through the front door. As usual, she was sitting on the couch in the only seat where you could see the kitchen. The smell of chicken had already filled the house.

"It was Noelle, as always."

"You know, I got here before you did. That means you were the late one."

"You weren't here when I got in!"

"Because I got here and you weren't there yet, so I went over to Scherab's." She groaned.

"You realize I would probably have been there in a few minutes if you would have _WAiTED!_"

"You say that every day!"

"Chill. Shut up. Stop fighting." We both suddenly noticed we were inches apart and had been yelling. We turned away to face Selene, who had spoken as she was heading for the kitchen again. I followed her.

"You don't plan on having me taste your cooked meat, right?"

"Yes." I shook my head and moaned.

"Why? isn't it obvious that I don't like stuff when all the blood has been cooked out?"

"Yes. But Rose will just complain the whole time about how average chicken is."

"I heard that!" Rose yelled from the couch. She had her laptop in front of her, rapid key clicks sounding everywhere.

"Don't care!" Selene shouted back. "Anyway, she complains, and I can't really give _myself _an accurate test, so you fall into play."

"You shuld use those millions of dollars you inherited to hire a professional tester or something."

"You're 150 something years old. You've had enough tasting experience."

"And only 17 of the 151 years were spent tasting human food."

"This isn't human. It's elf." I shot her a quick look while she held a fork out with a small bite of the meat on the end. "Don't worry, I didn't put any sugar into it." I snatched the utensil and bit off the meat.

"It's fine." I grumbled before I spit it out in the garbage can.

"I thought it needed more garlic."

"It does. But only a little. And don't ask me to try it afterwards."

"Why? Cause the garlic might melt you?"

"No. Because even though garlic is totaly harmless to me, I personally don't like the flavor of it."

"I know. You pretend it's just the flavor, but it really it burns you."

"I thought it melted me?" We laughed while she added more stuff to the two peices.

"Hey, Rose!" She unexpectedly yelled out.

"Yeah?"

"I thought you were gonna hunt down a second lion for yourself tonight."

"I was, but then Noelle left like that and I was too busy chasing her down." I poked my head out from the kitchen door.

"So, like it always seems to be, it's all my fault?"

"Yes, it is." We laughed for a moment, until a frantic knocking came from the front door.

"Selene, did you invite someone over?"

"No way. I know better, after how long since you went out." I quickly glared at her. It seemed everyone but me noticed how long I went in between feedings.

"Well, I know Rose didn't, and neither did i. Whatever. Probably another salesman." I strode out, punching in a fwe numbers on the keypad hooked to the front door. We ran a strong risk of intruders, and we made sure every door, especially the front door, was well guraded. Spells, security systems, my occasional pets. Everything within 2 elves and a vampire's reach.

Whoever it was knocked franticly again, just before I opened the door. Outside stood Todd, with a look a pure fear in his eyes. "Let me in." it was barely a whisper.

"Uh, sure." He dove past me, just before I picked the smell of blood. Human. He got just a few feet into the living room before he dropped face-first, screaming. I slammed the door before turning to see. His back had been gouged out, cut into by what looked like claws. There was a lot of crimsno staining on his white shirt. I put a hand over my mouth and nose, as Rose spoke.

"I know. Get out of here, Noelle." I ran past, strighgt to the other side of the house and out the back door. I let the fresh breeze blow away the sudden hunger that was nearly overwhelming. My fangs had stuck themselves out even more than usual, though they were slowly retreating back into my gums.

i stood for perhaps half an hour, no time at all, before Selene stepped out quietly. "Rose is patching him up in the guest room. We cleared out the air, promise." He watched me for a minute. "Are you ok?"

"It's getting worse, Selene. I can never satisfy myself, never."

"Are you still against going to see a elvish doctor? They really aren't all vampire haters."

"Yeah, but a dark vampire? You are the only elf with any darkness, and you're only half. All the others are light, and that makes me a natural enemy." She put a hand on my shoulder.

"Just come inside. You'll be fine. But Todd does want you again. He says he has something to share with you, and you're the only person he's going to talk for." I sighed and shrugged her off, opening the door and going back inside. By the time I was standing outside of the room, my previous frustration had faded. Todd was nearly a brother to me. He was the only human who knew what I was, though I wouldn't see him again after I moved in a few more years. I was now more concerned than ever for his safety.

Cracking open the door, I could see Rose sitting on a stool beside the bed. Her voice mumbled something in Elvish, likely a spell to help with the pain that was aparent on Todd's face.

"Is everything alright?" I whispered slightly, slipping in and walking to the other side of the bed. Rose finised her spell, then opened her eyes, green disks full of tears. I stopped myself from taking Todd's hand, to wait for an explanation from her.

"He... he's... infected with..." She started wailing. Selene ran over. I glanced questioningly at her, but she just shrugged, appearing as curious as I was. I did pick up Todd's hand slowly. His eyes opened slowly, a faded brown-green. He looked bad.

"Are you ok, Todd?"

"I have to tell you before it..." His back arched once, followed by a sickening yell. He panted for a moment before he continued. "Before it takes me. He doesn't want me talking. He said that you were..." He yelled again, this time curling into a ball. "That you were his for the taking. The you belong to him, and the Eternal Shadow. Please... what is that?"

"I- I don't know. But I swear, you'll be fine, and we will find out. And everything is going to be alright." My own voice was shaking as I wanted so desperately to believe myself. But at the same time, I could feel him slipping, and something else taking his place. I shook my head harshly, refusing the idea that Todd could die. Or worse, that something else would take him over.

Selene came back in then. One look at me and she was grabbing my shoulders in the process of removing me. But when she touched his hand, while trying to get mine, she must have felt the same thing I did. She suddenly released me and went out, shoving Rose back inside at the same moment. She came over and stood next to me, looking sick.

"What is he infected witih, Rose?" I mumbled. I was surprised that even she couldunderstand me past the tears.

"Something... dark. Like that black smoke stuff from earlier."

"Is there any chance it's my fault?"  
"I see no link to you, besides a brotherly bond." I nodded. I only lasted another 5 minutes holding his hand, before I couldn't stand the feeling. I dropped his hand touched his cheek. He smiled weakly, but that was gone even before I moved back.

Selene was waiting outside, standing right in the doorway. The moment I got out, she snatched me to the side. When Rose opened her mouth, Selene spoke sternly.

"Go back in with Todd. He deserves someone he trusts being there all the time." She nodded, but didn't appear happy in the slightest. When she was gone, Selene's attention was directed back to me."You know you can fix this. It won't be a a perfect solution, but he will be alive without that evil."

"You know I can't do that. For one, I don't trust myself, and this impossible hunger. And, there's always the chance that he is too far gone and it won't take."

"Good excuses, but not good enough. Vampire blood is perhaps the strongest kind out there, and it would overrun this darkness. And with how much blood he lost from that wound, you wouldn't need to take any, just replace it." I backed away from her grip, though it did take a slight competition of superhuman strengths. She eventually let go.

"I refuse to curse someone else to this hell I live with. Especially not someone so close, so important to me. You once felt a bloodthirst, even temporarily." She looked down. That was an experience no one wanted to bring up, but it was neccesary. "Imagine living forever with that. Then imagine cursing one of your 7 brothers to that fate. Would you do it?"

"Yes." Her answer was hard and quick. "Because I would prefer them being damned to that life than damned to a life of being in a body overrun by a thrid-party evil. I say, you go in, ask him, and if he doesn't agree, you can come out and we will finish him before this evil stuff takes over." I jerked my own head back up. It was only a second before i was in the room, heloing Rose hold him down through violent thrahing. When he stilled, panting again, I asked.

"Todd. Can you hear me?" He nodded, a weak motion of someone wore to the bone. Or being overtaken by an evil entity, whichever. "The only way we can save you is... is to make you like me. Turn you into a vampire. But I warn you now, it truly isn't a pleasant life." He huffed hard, than took a deep breath in before speaking.

"Please. I know how bad it is, your eyes show constant misery. But please, get me out of this, by any means. I feel like something is overtaking my mind, but then I'm clearer than ever. I can tell, it isn't going to kill me, it's going to take my body and leave me to rot inside. Please." He opened his eyes again, desperation almost tangable when he did. I suddenly forgot my pity of him after this was over, and instead pitied what he had to be feeling right then.

"This is going to hurt more before it get's better." I gave Rose a glance. She knew I was closer than anyone to Todd, and she left without a word. I let my fangs extend, enough to slit my own wrist slightly. A few droplets of red seeped out. I placed my other arm under his head, holding him up. By now, the cut was almost dripping the crmiosn from my arm. I gently placed the wound to his lips. His eyes were closed again, and he didn't seem to realize what he was drinking until he tasted it slightly. He spit out and mumbled uncomfortably.

"Blood. You wanna escape, you drink and try not to freak out when the pain comes. It will go away, I promise." I felt horrible by then, but put the cut back in front of him. He groaned angrily, but complied in drinking more.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

We had left Todd in the guest room, though Selene traded rooms with me for the night, just so I could be in the room right next to him. But, as usual, I only got about 3 hours of sleep. Despite popular belief, vampires do sleep, but only a few hours at a time, not 10 hours like is recomended for humans.

I was already pacing in the room for a time before I decided that I couldn't stand it any longer. I went out and slipped into the room with Todd. To my surprise, he was standing up. His shirt was gone now, revealing the wide strips of bandages covering the wounds. I felt guilty all over again, but only for a second. Then, a deep, menacing, echoing voice came from his lips, though there was no way it was actually him.

"You think you've escaped the night. You think you are on the path to rejoining your former light, the angels, all of that eternal goodness. But you are wrong. You've only made your fall lower. instead of descending into humanity, as you did at first, you had to descend into the darkness of vampirism. That coaxed out the demons, and they entered you as well. You have become a demon, and you can only lie to yourself, thinking you are still with the angels. What a waste of power. Accept the night." His hand raised invitingly. A smile spread over his lips, welcoming, but threatening as well. "Accept the night _with me_. Join me in the light of the moon. Deny the burning sun, for it hurts more people than the cool, relaxing night." He took a step forward, a ghostly black haze filling the room. Suddenly I understood what Rose had been talking about back with the mountain lion.

"No." His hand dropped, his face forming a vicious snarl. The echo in the voice became a growl.

"Then be damned to endless suffering! Live among those who will never accept you! Live among the light that you abandoned!" He lunged forward, before the black poofed (for lack of a better term) away, and a limp Todd fell forward into my arms. I held him up, as he began to mumble in his own voice.

"How long until i'm changed?"

"By the morning. Do you hurt anymore?"

"That hurt me far more than the changing." He groaned, as I lifted him and put him back down on the bed. Rose and Selene popped up on my sides as I walked away. Selene grabbed me by the arm, yanking me forward much faster than walking. By the time she had hauled me downstairs, Rose was looking upset with Selene, and Selene was looking _very _upset with me.

"Noelle Destany Darkmoone!" I growled at her.

"Don't talk like you're my mother." Rose placed a hand on Selene's shoulder.

"You know better than to bring up her family or talk like one of them." She nodded. I took a few deep breaths.

"But I do want an answer, and right now. Why did he say you had abandoned the light?" Her voice got more harsh with each word.

"I wish I knew. But why does it bother _**you **_so much?"

"Because... because... I don't think I want to share that. Not even with Rose." She turned and ran up the stairs, a blur considering how fast an elf can run.

"I suppose we won't hear from her tonight."

"No. Do you know what happened with Todd?"

"That thrid-party taking him made an appearence. I felt it when he fell forward. it was retreating. I think the vampire blood is actually causing physical harm to the person who did this, besides removing their control. He or she seemed pained."

"Strange." We both went back up then. I could tell that I might get another hour or two of sleep from that. Selene had reclaimed her room, so I took mine and layed down, ready for likely stressful rest.

It was 8 o' clock in the morning when I came back inside. I had been combing the trees for loose birds, quick snacks in my nightly boredom. However, Rose gave me a queer look when I got inside, which alerted me of something odd.

"What?"

"Did you mention something to Selene before you left? To upset her more than she was last night?"

"I haven't seen her. it was only an hour after we went to bed that I got up again and went to the forest."

"Odd. Because she is still sulking in a locked room."

"I would really like to know what he meant by 'abondoned the light'. And why it seems to have bothered Selene so badly. "

"She was mumbling about that once. Abandoning the darkness, though. The opposite. I wonder if she actually has some idea what he was talking about." I nodded shortly. My mind was already wandering through possible meanings. He said something about descending into a human. Which implied that I wasn't really a human at first. Which was crazy, because I had a mother and father and DNA tests that proved the relation. Maybe they were mislead.

But then there was the odd famimilarity I had to it all. The entire speech. Like I had had the argument before, at least about leaving the light. Yet, as far as I could consciously remember, and vampires really do have excellent memory, I had never even heard it with somebody else.

Questions started to blur in endless circles in my mind. Before I ended up dizzy from all the thought, I pushed aside the voice's words and walked back upstairs. Selene's door was locked, and I might not have spells to unlock stuff, but you shouldn't doubt my ability to pick locks with bobby pins. The door creaked open, needing grease like every door in the small house. But the questionable room, half lit with gazilions of rainbow Christmas lights and half shadowed except for a single oil lamp, was empty. it didn't even look like it had been touched for most of the night. Meaning, like I had sort of guessed before, she had gone and left again. She left a little too often, when something upset her without reason, then she explained and we got a little more insight into the mysterious life of Selene Hale.

I stood in the door for a minute, more confusing thought circles arising, before I rejected them as well and screamed out. "Rose! I need your spells!" She walked very slowly up the steps, in her 'it didn't sound urgent enough to rush' mode.

"I think you only love me for my spells anymore."

"Yeah right. I need you to help me track Selene down."

"You realize I'm only half elf, right? It's not like I can keep up with you that well."

"Don't worry about that. If I know anything about the girl, she didn't go very far away from here. You should be able to find her exact location." She sighed, sounding more exhausted than I had seen her in a long time.

"Why can't everyone get along and be happy?"

"Because our would-be brother just got infected with some evil... something, and I had to turn him into a vampire. The evil whatever-it-is brought up something about me I don't even understand, but Selene does and I guess it offends her in some way, and now she has ran off."

"I actually didn't need a play-by-play review."

"I know. I just felt like summing it up. It helps with my own confusion."

"Well, about tracking Selene..."

"What?" Her face had went from exhausted and upset to downright guilty.

"She might have put some kind of spell on me that limits _my _spells for tracking, whenever they involve her anyway." I stared for a moment.

"Are you sure that's possible?"

"Yes. Because that sort of internal map I get when I'm tracking is just a hopless black blob when I'm tracking her specificly." I groaned mentaly, leaning back against the wall.

"How can we find an elf with a lot of magic, spells to hide herself, and a knowledge of every nook and cranny in existence?"

"You don't. She comes to you." I glanced back inside, and who but Selene would be lounging on her bed, halfway shrouded in light and half dark as always, looking like she hadn't left the spot for days.

But then, I noticed something about her. How it took me more than half a second to see, I still don't know.

Her usually radiant blonde hair, flowing on it's own breeze to her shoulders, had lost most of it's glow. Instead, it was almost brow, darkened and dull. Her clothes has gone from a comfortable black tank top and jeans with flip-flops to a black polo, black jeans, black goth boots, ad ridiculous amounts of chains and spikes wherever they could conveniently fit. Her bright, well-colored, tan skin had faded into a sick greyish white. But her eyes were the worst. Before they had been entirely unique. Her right eye was green, the symbolic color of Icentaitcian Royalty (Icentaitcia is the country of Elves). Her left eyes was a bright gold, the exact color of the precious metal. No one knew where the color originated. But now, one had taken a demonic red almost identical to mine, and the other, flat black. Her painted red lips formed a twisted grin. Anyone but a vampire would've quickly missed the two small bumps protruding from underneath her upper lip.

"How do you find a girl like me? Don't search for me. What kind of person finds a girl like me, being through an actual search? No one. Because I am absolutely untraceable." Her voice was evil, mischevious, and layered with hidden, unspecified threats.

"What happened to you?" Rose finally muttered. Even her whisper, just above inadible, wavered with either fear or total shock. Selene stood and strolled slowly in our direction. I pulled Rose back a few inches, halting Selene. I kept my whispers quiet enough that not even Selene's elf ears could hear me.

"Be careful. Whatever happened, it gave her fangs. Big ones." I only added the last part after I looked again. The bumps had grown noticably, the sharp pearl tips barely showing. Rose gasped as she saw as well.

"I see Noelle has a watchful eye." She could hear me? That quietly? "I wonder how watchful she was as she drained her own parents of blood during that first, ravenous hunger, hmm?" That was when I blacked out. Well, not exaclty, because I remember what happened. I was aware of my actions, seeing it all, but all conscious thought in my mind was blurred into a red haze. I had no control. Rage did.

I ran forward, anger and adrenaline pulling me faster than Selene had planned. She had hardly moved an inch to defend herself when my fist made contact. There was a sickening _crunch, _before she flew back and slammed against the wall, unable to catch herself. When pulled her hand away from her face, her nose and mouth were bleeding, her eye somewhat deeper into her skull than the other. Her entire face seemed to be off-center.

She stood up with a an infuriated look that anounced her sudden death wish for me. But I was still feuled by endless fury. She slid her hand downward threw the air, forming a symbol as well. A spell, but one I knew. The room shook furiously, then stilled. But right before the synthetic lightening struck, I jumped a few feet to the side, just enough to avoid any danger. It struck exactly ten times, like always, before I could stop to watch Selene again. And I saw that it was all a distraction.

When i looked back, she had a symbol formed, energy visibly gathering on her fingertips. I knew this one, too. Unkekar. The Iron Fist. When casted, it would send it's user at the speed of sound, much faster than I could move, in a forward direction, with what was litterally an iron fist. Featuring huge spikes to ensure death.

Suddenly, in the face of what was now certain death, I closed my eyes and let the hatefully haze fade away. I only had a second now to think through the details. Mainly, what I would miss. Rose, Todd, the old Selene. And my list ended. I had no more family or friends. No lasting home, not with the way I moved around constantly. Nothing else to lose in death but those friends. And one of them was about to kill me.

There was a loud _BOOM, _as the sound barrier was broken. I guessed it was a symbol of the end for me. But then, I realized I was alive. Rose gasped. Selene growled angrily. I opened my eyes.

The scene was painful after I had a chance to process it. Selene stood with the iron fist midway through the room. Rose's mouth was a gaping black hole. And who was on Selene's iron fist? Todd, the spell-cast weapon peircing threw his heart.

Todd was awake? And alive? No, dead. But he was there. Undead? But the change was supposed to be a few more hours. But he was still breathing. He was awake? My thoughts spiraled, then my mind crashed, and it had to begin with a full and slow reboot. Everything was wrong.

Then, not to say I was thinking correctly yet, a single word filled my head several times over.

Todd.

I began to move forward, then froze. What could I do? But Selene yanked her arm free roughly, about to let him tumble half-dead to the ground. Before she was even totally free, I was under him, supporting his upper body for a few seconds until I could lay him all the way down on the floor. His eyes cracked open minimaly. He half-laughed.

"I think I changed." His lips parted slightly to reveal fangs, enlongated in the natural first hunger after a change.

"Yes, you have. But now, it was for nothing."

"At least I can tell you. A dragon attacked me, infected me." He coughed wetly, blood appearing almost all over his body.

"We will find and punish him." Tears were pouring down my cheeks by now.

"It didn't peirce my heart. I no longer have one" I could barley restrain the pain that this statement sent through me.

"Of course you do. Your heart can overpower even joining the undead. Your heart could survive hell and back." He smiled vaguely.

"Good bye, sis." He let his eyes drift closed, before his life faded completely. The room was engulfed by silence for some time.

"Good bye, brother." I barely got the words out befor eI started to wail.

"What a stupid kid." Selene suddenly said from the other corner of the room. I silenced myself instantly. My head turned of it's own accord, my lips forming words I hadn't ordered them to.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" It was much more a growl than speech.

"He was stupid. To waste his fresh life on your old one, it's pretty dumb. A waste of a body." Before I had even fully registered her words, I was flying forward with a primal yell. Blinded didn't cover it. Overcome by a desperate need for her ruined life in return for his.

My talons had clenched her throat tightly by the time she realized I was moving. Wait, talons? At the time, the only thing I thought was, 'cool.' They were sharp, long, deadly, and bringing blood quickly.

"He had the purest of souls, infected by a dragon, and forced to be turned into a creature of the night, a species that is doomed to lose all purity. And you just murdered him. And then called him, a man who deserved more respect than you can even _imagine, _a waste. Stupid. I am going TO _KILL YOU__** FOR THAT!" **_I dug the new claws further in, with the aim of severing her head. But then, something strange happened.

There was a poof. Then, my new talons were digging into the bright skin of Selene. Her blonde hair was flinging everywhere as she twisted her head, her gold/green eyes filled with pur terror. Her lips, without lipstick, formed muted pleads for help. Without fangs.

I couldn't do anything more than release her then. The moment I let go, the strange claws disappeared. She crouched on the ground, coughing. Rose suddenly ran over, released from her state of shock, to help Selene. The wounds were already healing, like always on an elf.

But I had become the one in shock. Yet I couldn't think for very long, because the dead body of Todd sat up out of nowhere and spoke in the dark, echoing voice from before.

"We are going to play a game. You started it when you abandoned the light, Noelle. Rose pushed for this game, when she abandoned the night. Now, this massive game that you won't understand is going to begin. The rules are unknowable. You learn them, or you die. Good luck, and let's begin. Oh, and the name of the game: Die to be Alive." And the should've-been corpse just disappeared. In a flash of black smoke, was gone. And we all stared on blankly in silence.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The situation with Selene was difficult. After the mysterious outburst from Todd, Rose had take a confused yet normal Selene out from the room. But I couldn't move. I just stared at the blood on the floor, filled with conflicting emotions. What was perhaps the slightest, for the first time ever, was the craving for more blood. In fact, it was almost none existent. Instead, I felt angry at Selene, yet sad that she had to go through that, aware or no. I was angry at the dragon who had attacked Todd for ruining and using him, yet angry at Todd for being weak enough to let it overtake him even after he was fully turned. But then, he was dead now, right? Which brought up anger at myself for letting him get in front of me, and anger at him for getting in the way in the first place. Then total sadness and depression that I could have had any anger toward a pure soul like that. But more than anything, I felt nausea, because I was sickeningly thirsty. I wanted blood. I didn't want to see blood, I didn't to smell, I didn't want to be near anything with a pulse anymore. Yet at the same time I felt like my body was as dry as dust. Worse, my fangs refused to shrink back into my gums. They continued to stick out to the max, almost 4 cm long.

I wouldn't have moved, wouldn't have lived without Rose dragging me out and forcing me to drink some of the crimson substance that she had collected earlier, though I really didn't focus enough to care where she got it from. I did listen to the explanation that Selene had no idea what we were talking about with her going evil, at least temporarily. She was looking unwell also, perhaps in denial that she had killed Todd. Theoretically. Assuming he was really dead.

I stopped trying to process it. Once again, my head was spiraling. Everything was chaos. And, almost the most confusing thing about it, I couldn't say it felt like yesterday that I had come home from school after being yelled at by Miss Davis. Because it really was yesterday.

"Noelle." I looked up. Rose was the only one who still had a clear head. She had started playing babysittter for us, and it looked like she wasn't done yet. "Are you planning on moving ever again?"

I waved my hand at her and looked away. I moved, right?

"Fine, be that way. I know how to wake you up." All of the sudden, she had me by the hair and was litterally _dragging _me outside.

"You could have just asked me to follow you!" I yanked myself free, resisting the urge to slap her for that. Even for being a vampire, that hurt.

"Yeah, then you would have been a smart aleck and I wouldn't have gotten anywhere." I didn't reply. Somehow I figured she was right.

For once, she didn't drag me to her car. Instead, we went out back into the forest. She just kept walking at an almost sleepy pace. On any other day, I might have been annoyed. Today, the breeze helped me start to get through a small layer of the endless questions that had arose.

"We're here." She announced proudly. I followed her gaze down a hill, to a herd of small deer. I shrugged, already nauseaus again from the thought of blood. As I was turning, desperate to escape, she grabbed my forearm. "You're not leaving again."

"Yes I am. And you aren't really strong enough to stop me."

"I'm not strong enough when you aren't dying." She snatched my arm back, sending me toppling over. I just lay on the grass and watched the leaves flutter in the wind.

"Ok, your strong enough. And I'm stubborn enough, so we have a pretty even match. Then you add in the fact that even thinking of feeding has me sick, and figure out who is going to win that fight." She glared, then frowned.

"I know you're stubborn, but I don't think you're that stubborn. If you _don't _feed soon, you really are going to die."

"Good. Maybe Todd isn't simultaneously protecting and threatening to kill us there." I rolled away from her.

"I'm not kidding. Get up. Walk. Then get over your sickness and go try not to die. I have the upperhand here, and you know it." I glared sideways at her.

"And what do you intend to do to make me?" She suddenly started rolling me. I tried to stand up, but she wouldn't let me until I tumbled all the way to the bottom of the hill. The frightened deer were gone before I could move.

"See? Just that little ride and you're having a hard time getting back up. You look like a weak human, if there's anything lower." Anger flushed through me momentarily, before I let it slip by to take on the depression.

"Todd was human. And a fairly weak one, too. I used to be human. I still have respect for them. After all, they are the ones who got control over visible Earth."

"And what about the invisible? There's too much that they miss." She slid down the rocky cliff, much more gracefully than I had. "Please, just get up. Or else, I swear, I will _make _you, without any force. You can't deny your body forever."

"You wanna bet on that?" I quietly stood, struggling more than I knew I should've. I was in the process of walking around the small mountain and back home when a scent drifted to me. Something...

"I knew it. You can't." She laughed, thinking that this was a good thing. It wasn't, it really wasn't. "Human blood. And you think I can't play dirty?" I growled quietly at her.

"Rose?"

"What?"

"Run." I turned, putting on my best 'psycotic smiling killer' face. Of course, I was on the verge of psycotic with thirst, which made that fairly easy.

By the time she was nervously gone, I was able to actually turn and face my fears. A human, a young teenage boy, was crumpled against a huge boulder, a small cut on his arm bleeding slightly. His brown hair, a very rich color, was just long enough that I couldn't see his face. He wasn't drugged, just under the influence of a spell. He would be out for a while.

But there was a problem. I had decided that I wasn't going to fight anymore. I didn't feel like it. Rose was right, even if she was a little drastic. Even decided not to fight, and losing all of my will to, I couldn't attack him. He was sitting there, unconscious _and _bleeding, yet I still couldn't move.

"Having trouble?" A deep voice whispered. I turned, shocked, but nothing was there. The sound was everywhere. "Fool, You pity creatures that are below us. Below _you. _Worse than pity, you wish you could join them. While they plan to exterminate all of us. If you don't kill this seemingly insignificant boy, than we might all end up as fairytales, just like the pixies did." Something cracked loudly, as if it was over an intercom speaker, then all was silent.

I stared at where the voice had come from at first, before surrounding the area. There was no one here. So someone was using very strong magic. But, who, and why? Why would anyone care if an exile vampire living with the humans didn't feel like feeding?

"NOELLE!" A screaming voice echoed from behind the boulder.

"What?" I knew who it was. My personal 1-man-fan-club.

"What are you doing out here?" A short blonde kid stepped out. He was like a miniature surfer just waiting to happen, but he was only 8. And hated surfing. Yes, I had asked him.

"What I'm doing is none of your business." He came around the rock then, and saw the kid Rose had dragged out here.

"It isn't my business, that doesn't mean I don't-" He stared blankly for a minute, then his eyes teared up. Like they do a lot. Because he had to be the biggest baby ever born. "You're a kidnapper!"

"No, I'm friends with one. And she's a pain sometimes." He looked at me and screamed, running off. Again, biggest baby ever born. I knew I would have to get Rose to wipe his memory soon, but I didn't care at the moment. I was too busy trying to figure out what to do with the boy she had brought out.

I turned away. What if he woke up? I didn't think I could survive another encounter with a human. My fangs were already showing of their own accord. And, even if he didn't wake up, what was I going to do with him? I couldn't take him home before he woke up, because I had no idea who he was or where he lived. And if I was caught by someone looking for him, well...

There was a shuffling behind me. I quicly turned again, my first fear coming true. He was slowly getting up, clearly disoriented. He had barely gotten to his feet before staggering backwards, to the ground again. I had been raised, as a human, to help those in need. All of a sudden, I was a 17 year old girl again, running down the street to school at 7 in the morning, looking into an alleyway, and seeing an old man who had fallen. Like a good southern girl, I walked in and helped him up. He thanked me and left. Then he came back again, to the same spot the next day.

I shook my head. I wanted get rid of the memories, to stop thinking about my past. Why did every little thing have to remind me of my old life?

The teen had stood up, and was looking on with a strange expression. I vaguely noticed him, and without really looking I addressed him.

"Get out of here. Go, and don't come back. Forget you ever saw me." I turned to leave, about to go see if I could drown, even though I knew better, when he spoke in an accented voice, though I couldn't place the accent exactly.

"What do you mean?" I spun halfway around. No one ever said a word back to me. Every human was both mesmerized and afraid, but usually ran off after that. Yet here he stood, acting as if I was any old person on the street.

"I mean, go home. I mean, no one needs to know you ever saw me, and if someone does, don't think I won't find out." I was about to leave, again, when I turned to look at his face. Then something struck me.

Blue eyes. Not just blue, but a slightly grey-blue that was a perfect match to my fathers.

This time, I successfully left, with tears streaming down my face.

When I got home, I guess Rose had expected me not to have held. We had a huge argument, before she stomped up the stairs muttering small curses that probably wouldn't take effect.

Then, of course, I was trapped alone with Selene. I was walking towards my room, hoping not to try to kill her again, when she spoke in solemn tone.

"I'm sorry. For everything. Is he really dead?" She asked, turning to me. She wasn't so taken aback as me, though she was only eating enough to stay alive.

"I don't know, Selene. I wish I did. But anymore..." I sighed and went back to the couch. I couldn't stay angry, not at Selene. She was too good, even being half dark.

"I want to tell you about something."

"Shoot."

"It's why I got so mad when he said you had abandoned the light." I looked at her. She was staring at the floor, embarrassed for no reason that I could see. "My uncle, actually, did the same thing. He was once a very powerful light magic user, far above my skills. But, though I'm not really sure why, he decided that he preferred the night, the moon, all of it. And he used some kind of ancient magic to change himself into dark. He was no longer an elf, but a human spellcaster. And he was happy.

"However, like they always seem to, Icentaitcian government said that he was a traitor and posing a threat to the city and all outlying villages. And they hunted him down, and he was killed. We've gotten letters from him though, but who knows." She sighed. How she could always have so many terrible stories and never let any kind of effect show was beyond me.

Rose suddenly jumped down the stairs. "Why couldn't you say that before?"

"Because it's a deep ancient magic. Your ancestors' ancestor's wouldn't even know the people who created this magic. We're not supposed to tell anyone non-elf."

"Well, I'm half-elf. You could've told me?"

"Full blood, pure elves. If he wasn't my uncle, I wouldn't have been told because of my dark magic."

"That's crazy. I'm the Light Master, controller of all light magic..." She said this proudly, "... and they couldn't find a good enough reason to tell me? I mean, lowly old everday Noelle over here sure, but me-"

"Rose?" She nodded. "Keep talking, and watch what this lowly old everyday me can do." She smiled, as we all laughed. Until Selene's face went blank. Telepathy.

"Who is doing what and why do they have to tell you telepathically? They know we have a phone number." I grumbled. Rose could listen in on Selene's thoughts and hear it all, but I was out of the loop. And they could hide things too easily.

"It's an Icentaitcian woman." Rose said, looking on to me. "But that's all Selene is alowing me to see."

"And it's all you need to see." Selene suddnely mumbled. We had guessed she wouldn't be focused enough on her surroundings to notice us.

"I wonder. You want me to leave so the evish people can talk?" I asked Rose. She nodded breifly with an apologetic look. I went upstairs to my room, laying down and opening a book. I flipped the page every 30 seconds due to my vampiric speed.

The voice from the forest filled my room, so suddenly that I jumped and lost my page. "Reading. Such a calm and relaxing process. Welcome to the game. Do you know the rules yet? No? To bad. Because I get the first turn. This is my play. You're welcome." He laughed, the sound stopping instantly. I glanced around, nervously picking up the book. I read for about 5 minutes before my eyes started to hurt. I blinked a few times, pointlessly.

But then the slight sting intensified. A lot. Into a raging burn.

I did scream, but neither Rose nor Selene came. The door slammed shut, and the voice uttered a few more words. "They can't hear you scream." Then all was quiet. I couldn't see anymore, but i could feel the tears coating my cheeks. I lay in a ball on the floor for several minute before standing.

Even with my eyes open, all was black. I slowly felt my way down the hall and halfway down the stairs. That was when they opened to the living room. It took Selene only a few seconds to notice me hobbling uncomfortably down.

"Noelle! What's wrong?" I shook my head. Though the burn had lessened, it was still quite prominent. I couldn't think enough to form words. They both jumped up and ran to my side.

"Noelle, please. What's wrong?" Rose sounded more distressed than I felt. Not that I really felt much.

They helped lead me down the rest of the way and to the couch. I sat for only about a minute before the fire had completely subsided. I was finally able to speak.

"I think I'm begining to understand the game."

"What game?" Rose asked.

"The one Todd was talking about." I explained the voice in the forest, and just then. "And I can't see anymore." I concluded quietly

"So he blinded you?" Rose said doubtfully. She was acting like this was all a crazy lie.

"I guess. How should I know what exactly he did? Maybe this is a side affect of something else." I turned in the general direction of Selene.

"What?"

"You know about everything having to do with spells. Any ideas?"

"I don't know of anything with that as a side affect. I think it's a straight forward curse." I let my head droop. Being in an entirely black world was already getting difficult.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I closed the door to my bedroom solemnly. The day had gone by even worse than planned. Especially since I was going to bed at 8:00 instead of midnight. I was exhausted.

But I didn't sleep. The voice, and of course Todd, filled my thoughts. I was still confused, and my awarness was slipping. But not enough to sleep. And then, something occured to me. What about to boy in the forest that morning? What if he didn't listen and came back? It seemed pretty likely from how he argued that he wasn't one to take orders. Probably another kid in the rebelious stage.

But at the same time, I sort of wanted to see him. He was the same age as me, sort of. The same age I was stuck at, anyway. He looked to be 17 or 18. But his eyes. I didn't know if I could bear to see them again, not with how close they were to my father's.

Then I thought of something else. I didn't have to bear it. I couldn't see at the moment. One positive amid a sea of negatives.

However, the thought of him did put me to sleep, oddly enough.

That morning was troublsome. I did go out to hunt, which was surprisingly easy. Having a strong sense of smell and hearing could come in very handy. The hard part was being home.

Selene kept apologizing, saying that it was all her fault. Then, just because she always took the blame for her friends, Rose said it was her fault. She didn't really have a reason for it though.

I was getting used to using hearing to see. Sort of like a sonar, but not nearly as strong as in the movies. Just a vague impression that there might be a wall in front of you.

I was going to stay home and help Rose clean up Selene's room. But as soon as the door was opened, I was about to gag. I ended up being _ordered _by Rose to take a walk. Yes, the loving and innocent Rose does have a bossy side. She put a spell over my eyes again, just to cover the color, just in case. Not that they were much use at the moment anyway.

Outside, I didn't really pay attention to where I walked. I just walked. I had been going for almost 20 min, at a very slow pace, before something occured to me. How I knew, I still haven't figured out, but I did. I was in the clearing where the boy had appeared.

I walked to the center of the space and tried to tell if anyone was there. I was alone. I sat down, putting my head in my hands. I hadn't gotten more than 1 1/2 hours of sleep, and they weren't restful. It wasn't long before the soft grass had comforted me into a deep slumber.

A warm hand shook my shoulder. I figured it was Rose or Selene, so I decided to ignor it. Then I remembered where I was. And that Rose and Selene's hands wouldn't have felt warm to me.

I sat up, trying to anylize my surroundings. Someone was crouching next to me, but I wasn't familiar with the scent.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Brandon." He had a nice Irish accent, which seemed natural.

"I don't know any Brandon." I begand to stand when something clicked. The voice was familiar. But, I couldn't tell. And I was still groggy from sleep. I decided to play it safe and not bother asking again.

"Yes you do." I stopped. "Oh, I guess I didn't get my name in the last time I saw you. I'm Brandon O'Hare." He moved, but I really couldn't tell what he was doing.

"When did I see you, then?" He seemed shocked.

"You already forgot me? My face isn't easy to forget, you know."

"It would help if I could see. I'm blind. So no, I don't remember you. I'll be leaving now."

"But you obviously saw me yesterday." I froze. Solid. The only new person I had seen yesterday was the boy.

"You have grey-blue eyes, slanted ever so slightly." It wasn't a question.

"So you _could _see me!"

"Yesterday I could. Today, I'm blind."

"How does that happen?"  
"You ask to many questions."

"A prince is supposed to." Even without clear vision, I could tell his eyes were wide and his face panicked. Of course, his voice gave that away. "Uh, forget I said that! You didn't hear anything!" He grumbled to himself. I'm not going to put what he said there.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe." He exhaled, like he had been holding his breath.

"It had better be. Say, didn't you say that I wasn't allowed to come back here?" It suddenly clicked in my head. I was supposed to be kicking him out, not having a nice little conversation.

"You really shouldn't be. If my friends come back, believe me, your dead. It is theirs, and private property. They have a right to kill you." He gulped awkwardly. I was somewhat hoping it would scare him away.

"You know, I am a prince, and people would miss me. They already do, of course, but still." He grumbled again. "Why do I keep telling you these things?"

"Because you can't keep your mouth shut. It's common." He was silent, which brought me into a fit of laughter.

"It's common not to keep my mouth shut, but it isn't common for a blind girl to think of herself as better than someone who could probably beat her senseless at any time." I laughed some more. It was difficult for me to speak any more past that.

"Honestly, try. Right now, try to hit me."

"Um... well, I..."

"What, scared to hit a _girl_?" I sneered. That pushed him too far. But I still didn't expect him to hit. His fist flew forward, suddenly clearer than it had been, and I instinctively grabbed his wrist. Too fast. Vampire speed. Faster than the fastest human. From where my grip was, I could feel his pulse slowly rising in speed, to a point I wasn't sure was safe.

"What... was... that?" I let go, curiousity taking over now. He sounded... excited? Like this was funny? But then, the opprotunity was what I needed to get out of this mess.

"It's called being fast. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I don't have good reflexes." He laughed hysterically. Which explained why he wasn't running. He was in shock and slowly losing his mind. Once again, I tried to play it off.

"Are you ok? I think you need to calm down and breathe for a second..." He laughed again. It was starting to get creepy.

"You're not human, are you? Which explains how you can still walk around and stuff without getting hurt when you just went blind yesterday. And how you move so gracefully. Yeah. He he." Though I still wasn't sure, he seemed to be twitching. I gave it one last shot, or else I would end up having two humans that I told my secret to.

"I'm a human, and you're going crazy. You really need to lie down." I started to push him down, and he grabbed my arm.

"Your skin is too cold. Are you sick?" He sounded normal, but i could still feel his pulse. He was still hysterical.

"A little. Nothing contageious though, don't worry."

"How about your lack of a pulse? Can you explain that?" I realized he had grabbed close to my wrist, where I would have had veins. If I was still human. Or alive, for that matter.

"I-I c-c-can't really." I backtracked, suddenly having an idea. I put my fingers directly over the blue streaks. "What do you mean, I don't have a pulse? Of course I do." I smacked him away, then pushed him down. He let me this time. "Now you've proven you need to rest for a minute. Just because I'm fast and a little cold doesn't mean I'm an alien or something. And I'm sure I have a pulse, because I felt it myself." He turned his head away silently. His heart beat slowed, taking it's time. He finally looked at me. For the first time, I was truly begging for vision. I wanted to know what his face looked like.

"I want an explanation." His tone was calm, the hysteria long gone.

"Of?"

"Everything I just said."

"I gave you one. I'm a little sick, and I just have really good reflexes."

"You know I'm a prince. You think they don't thouroughly educate the next in line?" I gulped nervously. It sounded like he knew what he ws talking about. He wasn't as easy to fool as I thought. "I know that even with a sickness that makes the skin cold, it doesn't entirely drain the body of heat." He sat up, supporting himself on his elbows. "And I know very well the human limits when it comes to speed. And reaction time. You surpass them 100 times over." His accent got stronger on this part. It made me really believe, for the first time, that he was actually a prince. And a public figure like him knowing my secret would be bad.

But there was no way I could kill him, or hold him prisoner. And I probably couldn't safely let him out with the knowledge. But he wouldn't tell about these details he wanted to be viewed as sane.

A thought suddenly came to me. I had read a news article that said the prince of Ireland had ran off. Irish accent, a prince. It fell into place smoothly. We stared at each other for a long time.

"You're the runaway prince from Ireland, aren't you?"

"Yes. But I still want-" I cut him off.

"Do you need a place to stay?"

"Yes, but you see-"

"If you come over to my place, me and my friends can explain these things to you. Assuming all goes well, you can stay."

"What about _me_?" Another voice piped up. I didn't need to look up to see a vague form approaching. The closer they got, the more I could see. It was a male, a boy who was also about our age. Then a tattered pair of jeans and a T-shirt came into few. His hair was very short, though I had no way to tell what color it was.

"Jared is my... um... well, a close friend. He followed me here, and I'm responsible for him. I can't go anywhere without him." He turned to face Jared. "And he can't be left alone because he's an idiot."

"Love you, too, bro." He laughed, though it didn't seem like Brandon enjoyed it much. "Hey, what's up with this chick? She hasn't looked at either of us once."

"I'm blind. I can't look at you, at least not with my eyes."

"That sounds like you can see us some, with something. Say, what clothes am I wearing?"

"T-shirt. Jeans. Both tattered. I can't see any colors, but from that, you look like a hobo." His jaw dropped. This both I and Brandon laughed at, though Jared quickly went from joking and ready to insult to sulking. Without doing much else of anything. "You can come too, Jared. I figure you saw the whole thing?"

"Just the last half. When he was pointing out why you aren't human." I lifted my hand, inches from slapping him, but relaxed. He hadn't done anything to really deserve that.

"Are we leaving? I don't think we really have any reason to stay here." I nodded weakly. I felt drained all of a sudden. Either that, or the fact that I was still sort of thirsty and I was more willing to attack Jared than Brandon..

Leading them home had been easy, once we got past both of their concerns about a blind woman leading. But the dense trees soon got denser, until they were difficult to slide bewteen. Then, it all opened up into a 1 acre clearing. In the center was our house, one of the many Selene owned thanks to connections throughout the worlds.

I left them outside, telling them that bringing them in unannounced would have been bad. And for once, I wasn't lying.

Selene and Rose must have been listening to my thoughts, because the moment I got inside, Rose jumped in front of me with a grin plastered onto her face.

"Why are you grinning?" I said, keeping my voice as dull as possible. If I showed energy, when she had that face, I would end up in a spiral of accusations that I had a boyfriend, and when were we getting married, ect. It wasn't fun.

"Because, you not only got a man for yourself, you got one for me or Selene." Selene's voice echoed from the front of the house, with a few clicks. Computer.

"I don't need a man. Take them _both _away!" Her tone was harsh. I glanced to Rose.

"Did you say you were going to force her with someone? Again?" Rose rocked back and forth like a guilty child.

"Maybe." I shook my head, feeling Rose quickly take the charm off my eyes so the red was visible again.

"Well, they aren't here to date us." I explained the situation, minus the part about Brandon being Prince of Ireland, Selene coming in soon after. Rose was afraid to erase memory, which meant that Selene was put in the hot seat. But she agreed, and I went back outside.

"Come in. And please, Jared, shut up." He grinned and nodded, which scared me. I had only known him for a few minutes, and I could already tell he was a troublemaker. Though they did both give me odd looks, since my eyes were red again instead of the cover-up blue.

They followed quietly, which shocked me. Then I noticed the glare that Selene was sending to them. When she glared, anyone would shut up. I walked to the conference room Selene had installed for the sole purpose of her occasional Icentaitcian meetings. From those who hadn't exiled her for running away from her princess title.

"Sit." She said blankly. While I passed her at the door, I mumbled.

"This isn't going to work. Be nice." She faked a smile, looking a lot closer to sick than happy. It was hopless.

We all proceeded to sit at the table, the head of the table left empty. It was something we had traditionally done, in repect of Queen Entraikia, the first elf queen and discoverer of the second world beyond this one, now deemed Otros Tierras, or the other lands. Brandon awkwardly took a place beside me, earning a sneer from Jared. Which also got another harsh look from Selene. Then, all fell silent, while a blank look covered Selene's face, her eyes even closing in concentration.

"What is she doing?" Brandon whispered, more to himself than me, but I answered anyway.

"Reading your mind to see if she can wipe your memory." He turned to me, jaw on the floor. Maybe farther down than that. Selene's multicolored eyes opened and flicked stright to me.

"Why didn't you tell us you met him yesterday?" I looked to Rose.

"Because she brought him there and tried to force me to feed. She knew, and I didn't feel obligated to tell you about when she tells you everything." Rose put her hands up.

"I didn't think you could hold back like that. You continue to prove yourself the most stubborn person on the planet." Selene shook her head pitifully.

"I can't wipe his memory if he spent the whole day thinking about you. And the whole night." She looked at me, but I was looking towards Brandon. I could tell his eyes were wide, but I wished I could see his full expression. Jared, on the other hand, was grinning and fighting back laughter. He yelped, gathering everyones attention.

"My hair feels like it's on fire!" He yelled. Rose sighed.

"It is, you moron. Stop laughing." He looked up and smacked the small flames out.

"I wasn't laughing!" He then seemed to realize what she had said. "You lit my hair on fire?"

"Yes, and I'm going to do it again if you don't shut up." He stilled.

"Rose, you just helped not help, you know. Once again, what is he gonna think if he can't remember getting burned, but there's still marks in his hair?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. But he needs to be quieter." Selene seemed to burst.

"Rose! Don't you get it? You can't light everyone on fire constantly!"

"Well, I can't use any other element." Selene rose her hand, prepared to hit Rose while she wasn't looking, forcing me to run over and grab her.

"Relax. We really don't need to be starting fights." I knew she was reading my mind, all my thoughts focused onto trying to keep as much of our powers hidden possible from Brandon, because Icentaitcia would kill him if the found out. Why I cared if they killed this teenage runaway prince, I didn't know myself. She looked oddly at me, but sat back down.

"Well, seeing as you can't have your memories cleared, we have to explain ourselves. Short, I'm an elf, Rose here is half, Noelle is a vampire. I'm not explaining any more of myself. Rose?"  
"For the record, she is the only elf with both light and dark magic, not that it's really important."

"Ma'istir Twilight." Brandon whispered. He must not have realized we had enhanced hearing, because he seemed surprised when everyone looked at him. "What? It's a legend in Ireland."

"I know." Selene said after some time in total silence. "I've heard every legend about me."

"You haven't heard this one. It's only spread in the royal family, and then only to certain relations."

"The cause of the Black Death?"

"No. That's a total story made up by peasants who wanted someone to blame for the deaths of their families. This one isn't really a story, anyway. More of a prophecy." I was wondering how long it would take Selene to pick up on the 'royal family' part.

"How do you know if it's only for royalty?" He stuttered for a moment, then glanced to me.

"It's ok."

"Well, um, I'm the prince over there. I ran away for a new chance in America."

"And you picked Florida? Bad choice. Now you're caught up in our mess. And it isn't fun. I suggest you leave, and even if you can't forget us, try not to tell anyone." She threw a glance in Jared's direction. His hands flew up defensively.

"I wasn't going to tell anyone, honest. I'm not messing with you people." This time, he glanced at Rose, who smirked. He flinched.

"_Anyway,_" Selene said loudly, before Rose could start flinging more fireballs. "I think you two should leave. Move far away. And if you see anyone even somewhat suspicious or that moves like us, stay away. Your lives are in danger because of this."

"Well we..." Jared started. Then he looked to me like I was in less danger than him by asking.

"They need a place to stay." I kept my voice still, shrugging along with it. Selene's eyes went wide, and she stood.

"You want them to stay _here? _Are you mad?"

"No. Because you did the same thing to Icentaitcia, and if it weren't for Rose, you wouldn't have gotten back on your feet from it. You had no place to stay, either. Well, they're in the same position." She slowly sat back down, then put her head in her hands.

"Why do you have to do that?"

"Because you get annoying. Just because you were the boss to everyone in Icentaitcia doesn't mean you're the boss here. We decided that it was everyones decision. I say we let them stay. You say no. Rose? You're our middle point. What do you think?"

"Let them stay. Why not? Besides, I think they need protection now."

I nodded.

"Then follow me, you two. We only have one guest room, so you have to share."

"At least it's a room." Jared mumbled to himself for a while after that.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jared was the only one who left the room the rest of that night, after complaining that he was hungry. Rose just told him to go cook something if he was that desperate. Even Selene didn't know why Rose was being so rude towards him.

When we asked, he said very shortly, "Brandon is caught up." And walked into the kitchen. Which was followed by an attempt to burn down the house when he put a few fish sticks on. Needless to say, Selene put several charms in the kitchen to keep him away from anything with the potential for fire.

No one slept that night. Rose was too busy listening to Selene arguing with me. She was still blaming me for getting the two boys involved. It was nearly 3:00 in the morning by the time we finally went to bed. And half an hour later that everyone was back up and upset that they couldn't sleep.

I took to my usual plans, not really affected. I could go months without sleep if I chose to, it was just habit. The forest was unusually quiet, lacking even the sounds of owls and other night birds. The occasional flutter or scurrying was all that alerted me there was still life.

I returned to the clearing where I had met Brandon. I was begining to feel drawn there. I faced the sky saddly. I could feel the energy radiating from the moon, but I couldn't see it. One of few things I would miss.

I mumbled one of the few spells I knew, courtesy of how strong I was in dark magic. It was simple, just a spell of focus so that I could meditate under the full moon more easily. I sat cross legged and canceled out the world around me.

It was nearly sunrise, as the energy was fading, that I let myself fall back into reality. I jumped as a quiet whistle suddenly filled my ears. Focusing my sort of sonar, I could see Brandon laying down and staring at the sky, whistling.

"When did you get here?" I asked, the shock wearing off slowly. I hadn't expected to see him there.

"A few minutes after you. You were sitting there with your eyes closed and didn't hear me talking, so I sat down and got comfortable." He shrugged like it was no big deal. Then he looked at me. "Why didn't you notice me?"

"I was meditating. Focusing on the energy of the moon. Not focusing on anything around me." This time, I shrugged. That really _was _no big deal. Being dark magic, I used the moon for energy every few nights.

"You guys are so wierd." We both looked away. I kept my head low and thought about everything we did that would seem strange to a human. "I finally decided," He said out of no where, "that you're pretty cool. That blonde doesn't seem to like me very much, though. And neither of them like Jared. He's annoying, though, I guess."

"The blonde is Selene, the brunette is Rose. Selene doesn't really like anyone she isn't close to. And Rose... I'm not sure why she is being so rude. It isn't like her. She usually only starts being rude to people if she's gotten to know them some and sees that they diserve it. I've never seen _her _be the one who makes a bad first impression."

"How old are you, anyway?" He looked back to me, his eyes only half open.

"I'm 151, Rose is 134, Selene is 168. Really, the thing with Rose is odd. She was born on the exact same day I was changed."

"I wonder..." He trailed off, seeming to go into his own train of thought. Until I heard him start to snore lightly. I chuckled and picked him up carefully, though his snore didn't even waver. I ran back to the house, eager to put him down and get out for a hunt, with all of the energy I had now.

Naturally, though, Rose caught me at the back door.

"What did you do to him, Noelle? You know, it's really mean to invite someone into your house, then drink their blood." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I went out to that clearing for the full moon, and he came after me. I guess he stayed awake the whole time, though, because he passed out on me after a few mintues." She burst into laughter, slightly hyper as always, but stepped out of the way. Selene must've heard the conversation through our thoughts, because she gave me an angry glare from behind a spell book. Always reading...

Then I saw why she was so angry. Jared was perched awkwardly behind her on the back of the couch, trying to decipher the Icentaitcian writing, which was far different from English. I checked under my breath, though she heard me and shouted, "Shut up, Noelle!" Which made me bust out laughing. I climbed the stairs in a rush and went into the guest room.

I sat Brandon's sleeping body down, and began to pull the covers up, when he spoke. "Ma'istir Twilight." Irish. He started to use full sentences, periodically fitting in a few English words, before going back to his native language. It wasn't enough English to make sense of, though I still listened intently. He did have a beautiful voice.

"Master of Twilight." Was the last thing he said. Then he started to snore again.

"Need a translation?" Jared said, leaning casually against the door frame. It was obvious he had heard it all.

"You know Irish?"

"Duh. I might have been raised in America, but my family moved me to Ireland when I was 8. I kind of _had _to learn it. But I didn't pick up an accent." I nodded. "Anyway, he just told the whole story with that blonde. the Ma'istir Twilight. Obviously, it means the Master of Twilight. I haven't heard it before, so that did kind of confuse me." He shruged and walked out, followed by me.

"If you don't want to get hurt, remember, her name is Selene. And the brunette is Rose." I was slightly annoyed at having to recite their names twice, even though Selene had already said them once before.

"And you were?" I popped him in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Just a little preview of what's going to happen if you talk like that around Lex or Rose. Only, they will be much worse. Like I said, their names are important to remember." He nodded quickly. Even though I couldn't see to be sure, I was sure his face would be full of fear. We seemed to scare everyone human like that for a while. "And I'm Noelle." I added, answering the original question.

We walked silently down the stairs, Rose and Selene both mumbling about something in the book. Jared went and stood in a corner, obviously afraid to get anywhere near them. Rose smirked a little when he did this, but quickly resumed reading off something I didn't understand. I hadn't learned Icentaitcian.

I walked back outside, breathing in the fresh air. The sun was barely warming the grass beneath my bare feet, a pleasant touch. Though soon, it would be in the average 90's for Florida. Which actually isn't hot when your skin doesn't have any heat of it's own.

I walked towards the west, nearing alarge boulder with a set of steps Selene had carved in through magic. I acended them, sitting with my legs off the edge. The sun didn't reach anywhere like it did here.

I was only there for an hour, enjoying the warmth I couldn't get anywhere else, when Rose came to sit beside me.

"You know, I think I need to be nicer to Jared." She said, like i was going to answer. When I didn't, she got slightly annoyed. "Don't you?" She demanded.

"Not really. I think he needs a wake up call. He likes to pretend to be above everyone." Something came to mind for me then. "He probably had a difficult childhood. He did say his family moved him from here to Ireland when he was 8. That can mess with you, so you start to be like him to get people to notice you."

"I'm old enough to know the basics of phsycology." She muttered. Then she really listened. "That makes sense. Maybe, if I keep this up, he'll get better. I just hope he doesn't figure out that I'm trying to help and get the wrong idea..." I laughed at her without realizing. When she started glaring, I stopped. She didn't seem to notice how well she might fit with Jared, if she would get the wrong idea herself. She seemed to instinctively push him away, which had shown itself in the past as her own way of pulling someone in.

"You know, Noelle, I think you like Brandon." She said mockingly, which shut me up. I did very nearly hit her that time, but I let it slide with a few harsh thoughts. "Come on, let's go." She said, getting up.

"I'm going to stay here for a while. It's warm." I sighed. Even though they were immortal, and didn't seem much closer to the natural human body heat than me, they didn't feel cold like I did. No one could really explain it. Rose seemed to understand, though how, I wasn't sure.

"Ok. But don't be surprised if you get a visitor." She laughed, the beautiful music that came from any elf, even if she was only half.

"What is that supposed to mean?" But by then, she was gone. RUnning full speed back to the house, no doubt. Even if she couldn't keep up with me or Selene, it didn't mean she couldn't move very fast.

I continued to sit, then lay back. Against my will, memories of my old life flooded my head. Then, distinct memories of my last few moments, of changing. Of the little bit I really, _really _minded thinking about.

I ran down the street, chasing my friend Abbey, who had playfully taken my books from my room and escaped before I could catch her. I reached the alleyway where I had helped the old man the day before. I skidded to a stop. Much to my surprise, he was there again, smilling. In the year 1876, an older man that you didn't know wouldn't look so much like a pedifile.

"Hello there, young lady." He said with a small smile. I grinned and ran up.

"Hi there!" Even for being 17, I was very playful. I was known to look for any excuse to get out and run around.

"Are you in any rush?" I thought for a moment. Abbey would surely wait for me at the school house, so I really didn't need to get my books _that _badly...

"Not really, sir."

"Do you mind coming for a walk with me?"

"Of course not!" I comtinued to smile, thinking of company as a nice treat. He took my hand and led me deeper into the passages between buildings, before entering a grey door. We were in a warehouse, dimly lit by some candles. It was strange for such a large place not to have any lightbulbs. They were such an advancement at the time.

"Do you know who I am? Or, more importantly, what?" I looked at him questioningly. What he was?

"I do believe you are a kind old man." He laughed, evil tainting his voice in replacement of his kindness.

"Wrong! I am male, but that is about all you got right. I am not a man." He grinned, revealing two sharp, pointed teeth, like a dog. I screamed, but the industrial door had been shut, and the walls were made of a quite solid brick. No one would hear. "I am a blood sucker. And I'm not very kind. But, I do need some company, and living forever doesn't give one much to hope for. If I made a friend, they would die later, and then I would be alone again. So, I need to make a friend that can join me in eternity."

He stalked forward, though I backed away at the same pace. He suddenly shot forward, much too fast for me to see, pinning my arms behind me with one hand, the other carefully wrapped around my waist. "Please, let me go! Don't hurt me!"

"Now, seeing as you were so kind as to help me up yesterday, I figure you might be kind to me in the future. For instance, if I did this." He leaned down against my throat, speaking softly. A sense of impending doom washed over me. "This part isn't going to hurt."

Then, the sharp teeth he had revealed earlier pierced my flesh. I screamed louder, though it really wasn't painful. The sensation was actually somewhat pleasant. But the feeling of his cold skin against my arms, and around my waist, was ensuring that I didn't forget what was happening. But, after only a few seconds, he pulled back, licking his lips.

"Hmm. You really are quite loud." He messed with his ear a little, for effect. "But, that doesn't mean the process is finished." He reached up, seeming to bite his own wrist. But I saw that he had only pulled one of the two sharp points across to make a cut. He shoved the wound in front of me. "If you don't drink this blood, I'm going to kill you." I kept my own lips pressed together in a thin line, which was a mistake. It angered him.

"Fine. If you won't cooperate..." He released my arms, but knocked me down against a large box. He flashed, with that speed I couldn't comprehend, and my hands and legs were tied together.

"What? Untie me! I'm going to have the entire town after you!" He laughed again, the sound so full of menace that it made me sick.

"The entire town can't do anything! I'm invinsible. Now, are you going to drink?" I put my lips together one last time. He reached toward me and forced my mouth open, shoving the cut against me. I screamed more, but that choked me, and I had to swollow. After we did that a few times, he groaned and let me go. "You're a fighter. It should be interesting to see what you become." He then pulled the knots in the ropes loose, letting me free. I stared at him.

"You aren't going to kill me?" He was locking the door as I asked this.

"I just did. In a few minutes, you will be able to tell." He walked away, entering an office to the side. I heard the locks in the door click behind him.

I sat down, feeling the marks on my neck. I felt sick, from the blood he had forced down my throat. Why would he have done that, anyway?

Then, something burned weakly. It was deep in my chest. I put my hand over the area, wondering why that was happening. It spread, instantly, over most of my torso. I groaned, feeling myself near crying. I held back for a few moments, though.

Until I felt like my entire body had become an inferno. I screamed, continuously for hours. It only intensified.

I screamed, jerking upright. It was only a memory. But I could feel the pain all over again. Tears were streaming across my face against my will. I wiped them away, but I was still bothered. The sun hadn't stopped transferring heat, yet I felt colder than I had before. I breathed and thought back to the night, the full moon, the power that it gave. That helped me regain composure, though only just.

"Noelle, are you alright?" I spun. It was only Brandon. "I heard you screaming."

"I'm fine. I'm just remembering. I'm alright." I shook my head. "How did you find this place?"

"Rose told me to walk this way until I found a rock with stairs. Then go up. I might have taken longer if you hadn't screamed." He sat down beside me. "What were you remembering?"

"The night I was changed. If you ever want to be immortal, for any reason, don't choose vampirism. Because that comes at a dear price."

"What?" I looked to him.

"You ask too many questions."

"You've said that. But I want to know what the price is."

"Endless suffering. The physical pain might go away, but it scarrs you. You can't escape your own memories." I shuddered, knowing how true that was.

"You shouldn't be so negative." I flinched. He thought I was just negative. But then, anyone who hadn't been through the same or something equivalent really wouldn't understand.

"You would be, too." I mumbled, though not loud enough for his human ears. He did glance to the side, but didn't speak.

I sat there for 10 more minutes. Then I glanced over and saw Brandon's face glistened with sweat, and he seemed to be almost panting. He noticed my gaze.

"How can you stand this heat?" I put my hand on top of his. He flinched back.

"I'm dead, remember? I'm cold. But, you aren't. Let's go." He didn't argue, but reluctantly followed as I stood up and headed for the house yet again.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"If that's the case, then how can you do spells? Normal vampires _can't do that_!" Selene had decided to start up again, on the subject of my spells. It was true, most vampires couldn't preform spells.

"Because I have a lot of dark magic! I don't know how, or why, but I do! And because of that, I can cast a few simple spells. It's not like I can even do anything elemental! I can focus myself, or gain stealth. A bunch of tiny things humans put into video games! Even _they _know about them!"

"I said humans missed a lot, not that they missed everything. And it really doesn't make a difference weather or not these ones are known."

"Yes, it does. Because it proves that they are so small, anyone can do them. I would bet most vampires, too, if they would just try." She stopped. I had won this round, which really wasn't very common. She did mumble something in Icentaitcian, which I assumed was a few angry words, maybe a curse. But we were always putting little curses on each other, then removing them later.

"Are you guys done?" Rose asked from the couch. The laptop was in front of her, as usual. She spent a lot of time typing up that book.

"What does it matter weather we are or aren't?" I asked harshly. I knew I was being rude, but I didn't really care. I just wished Selene would stop saying that I might have a little elf in me or something.

"I stopped thinking it was elf, Noelle." Mind reading, forgot. "I'm begining to think it's dwarf. You are kind of short..." I was boiling by then. Keeping rational was becoming a challenge.

"What dwarf can do any kind of spells, besides a spellcaster?"

"I don't know. That was the point. A dwarf spellcaster." Spellcasters, the main users of magic besides elves, were really diverse. They could come from any species, once even human. Though the human ones had formed clans, which they called Circles, then made their presence too well known. The witch hunters came, and they were extinct. But most from the other surviving species were careful.

"I'm not even that short. I'm an average height for my time."

"And people in your time were short."

"Shorter than you overly-matured, pigheaded, filthy -"

"Noelle!" Rose shouted. Probably right for me to stop. I was about to start screaming curses at Selene in every language I knew, and I did know several. I took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go continue to learn braile." I went upstairs, opening the small book I had purchased to teach braile, the language of bumps that the blind could read by touch. I didn't like having to learn it, but at the same time, it was interesting and would allow me to continue with my previous reading.

It was past noon when I went back dowstairs. The scene there would have fit into a sitcom.

Rose and Selene were just flinging down the spell book, in the process of turning to yell at Jared, who was perched behind them again. Brandon was trying to get Jared to back up and stop making snide comments. When I started laughing, everyone in the room froze to glance at me.

"Look at yourselves! Why is it that we seem to get more and more like a T.V. series every day?" They all glanced quickly to Jared. "And you can't _all _blame him, since he's only been here 2 days." Rose huffed and walked out of the room. Selene calmly sat back down and retrieved the book. Brandon smacked Jared once and walked away. Jared proceeded to return to looking over Selene's shoulder.

I went out back, just like I had that morning, and went to the boulder with the stairs. With how late it had gotten, the sun was beating down much harder. I walked for only a few seconds before I heard a few quiet footsteps behind me, which froze at the same time I did.

I resumed, the sound following me. "I know you're back there." Someone sighed and walked forward.

"I thought I was being quiet." Brandon grumbled.

"Yes, you were. And it would work with someone who didn't have enhanced hearing." He nodded.

"Right. Forgot." He put a hand behind his head and grinned.

"Why are you following me, anyway?" His face fell.

"I don't know. I guess to escape Jared. He'll be safe, right?"

"I can't garantee he will escape injury, but they won't kill him."

"I think he needs to learn a lesson. Hitting him isn't really very affective." I glanced over, wishing I could see his face clearly.

"Why are you both so comfortable with us?"

"What do you mean?" I stopped and turned.

"I mean, you didn't freak out and have a heart attaack or something. We _aren't human_. You aren't bothered by that at all?"

"Well, in Jared's case, he's stupid. He gets straight A's in school and is actually very intellegent, but he really has no idea what's good for him. And I'm living the dream right now. I've always wished thoses fantasy books I read were a reality. And look where I'm standing. Beside a vampire, staying in her house with her two elf friends." He grinned. I shook my head.

"You realize it isn't a very good thing to be standing beside a vampire?"

"And why not?" I ran around him, grabbing him from behind and getting really close to his neck. I moved fast enough that he couldn't see the movement. He went stiff.

"Because. I'm dangerous." I whispered it as threateningly as I could, before releasing him. He didn't really loosen up until I was leaving him behind.

"What was that all about?" He said it quietly, like he feared a bold statement would be bad.

"You shouldn't act like I'm just a story in your favorite book. I'm very real, and a very real threat." He gulped.

"You did, uh... uh... you know..."

"Hunt recently? Yes, don't worry. But don't let your gaurd down so easily, either. Esecially when you're involved with us."

"You have people after you." It wasn't a question.

"Not me personally. But Rose and Selene do, and by being so closely associated with them, I'm in trouble as well."

"Yesterday, right after I said I ran away from being prince, you mentioned that Selene did the same thing."

"I was wondering if you would notice. She is the princess of Icentaitcia, which is the country of elves. She ran away from the title, in fear that she wouldn't be a good ruler. She only wants the best for her people." I sighed. "She might not have the best of methods, or the best of attitudes, but her intentions are pure, and she has a good heart."

"She really doesn't like us, does she?" I looked at him.

"Yes, she does. Jared seemes to have brought out the bad side of them both, but Rose has no problem with you. Selene just doesn't like seeing someone else abandoning their country like she did."

"I'm not abandoning my country at all. I was planning on coming back at any time that something major would happen. The servants hear everything, and they tell my old nanny. She has my phone number."

"Smart. But that's going to backfire if you go back every time something happens."

"I was thinking, either a huge war or Father dying would be almost all I would return for."

"A small list." We walked for only a few more minutes before I turned to the right. He stumbled once and picked up pace behind me.

"Where are we going now?"

"A secret place. You'll like it. It's an underground tunnel system. And convenietly, it's cool." He smiled. The heat was already getting to him, quite obviously on his face.

3rd Person POV

Rose sat down on the front step, overlooking their hill-side property. Or, more acuratly, _Selene's _hill-side property. It had been a blessing after the tiny apartment they had been forced to stay in the last time they moved.

She sighed and rested her head in her hands. She was starting to worry about herself. She was the Light Master after all, the most powerful of all light magic users, and was known to be exceedingly kind, but she was breaking her own persona. She wasn't even sure why she was being so ruse to Jared. He was annoying, and a bit of a pest, but he really didn't do that much that was _bad. _He was just the sort that wanted everyone else's attention. He didn't have good methods, though. She should try to respect that.

Quiet footsteps alerted her of someone else's presence. She spun, staring straight into Jared's green eyes. She groaned and turned back, completely forgeting that she was supposed to try to help.

"What do you want?" She snapped. He flinched, but sat down beside her.

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to look around. I've never seen this place, the famous 'privately owned, no trespassing' land." She sighed and stood, strolling calmly to the other side of the porch and leaning against a beam. He laughed, forcing her to turn and glare.

"What?"

"You look like a pouting toddler!" She walked back up and raised a hand to hit him, but he suddenly threw his arms in front of his face. Not that she couldn't break them in the process, but she lowered her arm and relaxed as best as she could. "I'm sorry. I just..." She sat down crosslegged beside him.

"No, I'm sorry. You really haven't done anything wrong, and I'm trying to alienate you. I don't know why..."

"Because I've been more obnoxious than I usually am. Being raised by parents who hate kids isn't the best thing in the world." Rose scoffed.

"Do you learn much about England in Irish schools? About a hundred years ago?" He nodded.

"It isn't the most detailed, but we hear a few of the wierd legends that spread through there. I used to think it was crazy that they claimed to have magical rulers. I'm starting to believe it."

"It is true. At the time, the only major link we had found to Otros Tierras, the Other Worlds, was right beneath England. Even though he wasn't my real father, I was raised by King Micha."

"_The _King Micha?" She nodded, amused by his sudden energy. "So, that means... that means that _you're _the missing Princess Rosealina?"

"Yes. What all have you been taught about his rule?"

"Only that he took England to many wars, but the colateral damage was slight and most wars were short. He did a lot of good things for them." He said this matter-of-factly.

"Of course they would make him sound like a hero for England. But that is most deffinatley a lie. He was an evil tyrant. He lead England to a lot of wars in Otros Tierras, too. And that resulted in 75% of magic users in the nation dead. He never won a war there, but he kept going. He let thousands be taken to a brutal death without losing a minutes sleep over it. He tried his hardest to manipulate me into being as evil as he was. When I didn't, I got sent to Spain for a boarding school. I met Selene there, right before she was going to get kicked out. I got her to stay in, and she arranged with her connections for us to have a home. We met Noelle in China a little later." He seemed a little behind.

"Wait, _he _was the one responsible for all those deaths? What happened to it being an outburst of terrorists after a deal with English government fell through? And you were _sent _away, not ran away?"

"Yes and yes. So, I think I was raised by a more kid-hating father than your parents." His head drooped.

"Don't think so. I would give anything to have gotten to go to boarding school in a different country. Instead of being beaten for talking at the dinner table when everyone else did." Jared shivered. Rose placed her hand on his shoulder slowly.

"I think we've _both _had decently rough childhoods."

"You think?" His voice wavered. Instinctively, she scooted closer and placed her whole arm around him.

"At least you got a chance to run away at all. Better late than never. And you didn't have to kill them to get out."

"I heard the King Micha was assassinated by a shadow. Someone was in and out through hidden tunnels in an instant."

"That's me. Right after he very nearly murdered my brother." Her voice took on a darker tone then, filled with anger yet again at him.

"I would say that killing isn't the answer, but I think he really deserved it." He looked up. "I wish I _had _killed my parents."

"You should talk to Noelle about that. I never killed anyone actually related to me."

"She killed a relative?"

"Not willingly. She couldn't help it."

"But I can. And I wish they were dead."

"No, you don't." She leaned closer to him. "You aren't the type to kill."

"I'm not." He whispered, moving upward to kiss Rose. She stiffened, then released, kissing back passionately.

The door slammed open loudly, breaking the two apart in a rush. "What is going _on?_" Selene fumed. Jared laughed nervously.

"Funny story..." Rose stood up to face the angry elf princess.

"You were listening to my thoughts. Again! Don't I get any privacy, ever, for the rest of my _life_?" She screamed at the blonde, who backed away a few steps. Rose seemed to be radiating fury.

"Yeah, but I was just making sure..."

"I'm 134 years old! I can do whatever I want without a second mom!" She shoved Selene inside and snatched the door shut. She turned back to face a startled Jared, her anger disappearing in an instant.

"You are pretty old, aren't you?"

"Yeah. We all are. Older than we look or act like." He shook his head.

"Naw, you do act like you've seen a lot sometimes. All of you." She giggled weakly.

"I'm still babied though. Mainly because I _am _the baby of this group. And we're all babies to our species of immortal creatures."

"Wierd."

"Yeah." She looked back to him. "I'm sorry about that. I don't like being invaded like that."

"It's alright. I'm sure having someone read your mind all the time is pretty annoying."

"If you plan on staying here, get used to it."

"Well, she can read our minds all she wants. It won't stop me from doing this..." He captured her lips again. They could actually hear Selene yelling from inside.

Noelle POV

"This doesn't look very interesting." Brandon mumbled, as they trecked through the dirt tunnel. It was too dark for him to see, and the air was stale.

"I know. But it gets much better. You can get pretty much wherever you want in the state of Florida from here. This tunnel even goes underwater, into the gulf." I grinned, even though he couldn't see. "And these tunnels have a natural suprise up ahead." I giggled like I had so many years ago. For some reason, I was suddenly becoming the old, human me, giddy and playful. It was strange.

"You weren't this happy earlier..." Oh, no. I wasn't ready to share my past. 151 years hadn't prepared me to tell a word of that first 17.

"That surprise cheers up everyone."

"Alright..." He was sounding very uncertain. Of course, after my previous outburst to prove how dangerous I was, I could really expect him to be alarmed. I was only capable of killing a human with a single bite, and I dragging human him into a dark, unknown place. No biggie.

I could tell light was filling the cavern, because he started looking around. And gasped.

Though I could no longer see, I knew we were finally in the diamond structure. It was pure diamond, a jeweler's delight. Someone, most likely elves, had carved the paths into an intricate system. Doors led into full-sized homes and even warehouses, all the clear crystal. Some places were even made of other colors of the gem.

"This isn't natural, is it?"

"The carvings aren't. But the diamond is. This is Diamante Tu'neles. The only reason I don't use this place for profit is how ancient it is. I think it's elves who built it, but it's hard to decide."

"How can the carve into it? It's the hardest natural substance on Earth." He turned towards me. "Right?"

"The hardest on Earth. Not outside of it." He nodded. "They did this." I walked over to a flat slate, one that hadn't been used. I ran my finger down it once, then pushed down along the same path. An indented trail followed, bits of dust falling to the ground. "Not that hard." He stared on in amazment.

"That's not normal."

"Not to a human. But when your skin is ten times harder than diamond, it really doesn't really pose a threat." He nodded stiffly.

"Ok." He sounded a little weary. "That still isn't normal."

"You'll get used to it, the more time you spend around us. We typically don't do normal things. Are you ready to go back?"

"Not really. Do you know how to read these?" He pointed to the downward symbols next to each door.

"It's Icentaitcian. Selene and Rose can read it, but I never bothered to learn. I don't have a very good standing with the elves."

"Is this a story you'll tell?"

"Certainly. It isn't very long. I was in Ortos Tierras, the Other Lands. That's the second world beyond this one, where Icentaitcia and a few other countries of magical beings are. In Icentaitcia itself, no one but Selene are dark, it's all light and sun. So me coming into that place with all black, glaring at the sun, and radiating darkness, wasn't very good to the locals. I didn't want to come, but for Rose. Anyway, the queen's nephew, not a real heir but still in the royal family, decided to pick a fight. We yelled at each other for a few minutes, than he tried to kill me. I didn't take that very well. Now he's dead, and most elves hate my guts. No biggie." He stared on wide-eyed for a few minutes. "Are you done yet?"

"Sure." He turned and walked deeper into the tunnels, staring at the ever changing markings. "Any idea why they change languages?"

"What?" I followed him to a certain door, trying to make sense of what little I could see of them. Then I recognized the symbols. Our alphabet. Not English, but the same letters. "I don't know. I'll ask Selene tomarrow. That's peculiar."

"These are in Irish." He said, on the opposite side of the hall, pointing a particularly long passage. "'Early on Midnight Morning, the sun shines bright upon night.'"

"I know what that is. Midnight is the day in Otros Tierras that the sky stays black instead of blue, and the moon stays up, but the sun still follows it's normal pattern. Rises and sets just like any other day."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It does when you understand the depth of magic the Ancients used. They could blot out the sun and stars and make night day and day night. They understood how strong the magic they were taught was, and as they saw the world changing and strong magic become more of a risk with evil, they put all of their teachings onto the Endless Scrolls, nearly 200,000 individual scrolls, and hid them. We don't even know which world they were hidden in, and hiding ourselves from humans makes searching this one much harder."

"Wow. Sounds like there's a lot to learn about your world."

"Oh no, not mine. Vampires are the only ones who don't have a free-standing country in Otros Tierras. So it technically isn't my world."

"See? It proves the point." I laughed.

"Even in my age, I have only scratched the surface of the knowledge of magic. I don't think anyone ever learned it all." He nodded and returned to reading a few of the other Irish phrases. He sighed.

"I guess we should go back." He mumbled sadly.

"Why? No one expects us."

"I'm hungry." As if on cue, his stomach growled. I burst out laughing.

"I guess I'm not as fit as I thought to spend this much time around humans. Come on." He followed silently through the dark entry tunnels, and into the seemingly endless forest.

By the time we got back, it was almost noon. It was an especially hot day, and more humid. Not a good mix. But the house was cool and dry, and no one seemed very disturbed. Brandon went srtaight to the kitchen, before he started yelling at Jared in Irish. I only caught a few words, something about being a stupid baby. I sat down beside Rose, who was reading a book and smiling to herself.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked her quietly. Selene, on the other side of the room, huffed and went outside. I heard something wooden snap, then a loud crash. Most likely the porch being destroyed yet again. We were lucky she was rich.

Rose's head slowly bobbed up, then she tackled me in a hug. "I think I'm in love!" She whispered frantically, hyperventilating.

"Relax." I groaned. "And go on a diet." She grinned widely and got off of me in a rush, bouncing in place. "Ok, you're in love. With?"

"Jared Augastan!" She moved towards me again. I pushed her away, causing her to fall face first on the floor. Then she started giggling and got up just to bounce some more.

"If you don't relax, I'm going to lock Jared up somewhere you will never find. A depressed you is probably better than a love-struck you." She stilled and stared at me.

"Fine. But aren't you happy for me?"

"Of course I am. You're my sister, after all." No, not really. We were very close, and thought of ourselves as sisters.

"You don't seem happy." I hung my head and sat down slowly.

"I'm just confused is all. Don't worry about me." I put on my best fake smile, though Rose having known me for so long saw right through it. She slapped the back of my head. "Hey!"

"Well, be confused, but be confused happily." I looked at her curiously for a second, before we both burst out laughing.

There was another crash, this time of something large hitting a wall. The door was slammed open, then shut, as a frantic Selene flew back inside.

"They're here." We both stood, going serious. "Rose, cast a speed spell. We need to run. Fast." Rose obeyed, before I cast my own spell on both of us. The layers of magic would make her fast enough to keep up, even though she wasn't really as quick as Selene or I, being only half elf. We then darted into the kitchen, the smell of reheating chicken filling everyone's nostrils. I grabbed Brandon, holding him bridal-style, Rose doing the same with Jared. They both protested at first, before seeing our faces.

We ran through the hall to the back door, Selene holding it open and following after we got out.

"Where are we going being held like women?" Jared asked sarcasticly, earning a thump from Rose.

"Don't joke. You should be happy you're with us, or you could be dead. We are going to Diamante Tu'neles. Don't ask. You will see." He nodded, still rubbing his head where she had hit him.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The trip through the dark, dirt part of the tunnels was short and quick. Jared was shocked at the hidden entrance beneath a boulder. Of course, he could never move it himself, but Selene was an elf, with nearly infinate strength. Very little was hard for her to move, no matter how heavy.

As always, everyone was amazed by the diamonds temporaily, making me more angry. I wished I could see their splendor, rather than just the blurry shapes. But Selene pushed us forward, very deep into the tunnels, deeper than I had ever traveled myself.

"Selene, do you know where we're going?" I asked quietly. I was feeling weak, though I really couldn't place why.

"Of course. We are going to rest here, then continue until we are somewhere beneath Orlando. What better place to blend in than such a big city? I own a condo there, a nice one. We will stay there for a few days, then we must go..."

"Otros Tierras?" I whispered. She nodded, skidding to a stop in front on a particularly large door.

"We must hide among the dragons. These are true elites after us right now. I placed a number of spells over our path, and layed a false path going straight to Miami. Even they don't know everything up my sleeve." She grinned, her voice becoming mischevious. She enjoyed being more powerful than most others.

"The dragons? But I thought they hate elves?"

"They hate _most _elves, humans, all of them. But I have a good standing with them, no one else here has ever done anything to bother them." She looked to the boys, Jared mumbling about still being hungry. Brandon was just staring on curiously.

"Dragons?" He asked. Selene groaned, slapping her own forhead.

"Yes, dragons control the majority of Otros Tierras, giving an eighth of the land to 4 other species. Any more questions?" She growled the last part, causing him to flinch.

"No." He barely mumbled it.

"I think they won't be fond of humans, Selene, no matter how influencial you are. Humans are the ones who fought the dragons into the rock-hard species they are today, after all."

"The humans of Otros Tierras did. These two humans are from here, and they didn't even know dragons existed."

"Dragons?" Jared suddenly yelled excitedly, obviously not having paid any attention to the reset of the conversation. Rose pulled him to the side and explained in whispers before Selene could burst again.

"Alright. I'm sure Rose will be happy to see Sohpia again."

"Yes." She said merrily. Rose was a Drago'n Enlace, a Dragon Link. She was connected mentally with a dragon named Sophia. If one was hurt, the other felt it. If one died, they both would. It was a useful but dangerous bond. Rose and Sophia were very close, but dragons obviously couldn't come into this world, and thus were seperated from their Enlace, if their's was one of very few who left Otros Tierras.

"I enjoy the dragons. They tutor me in magic, as well." I smiled, already remembering the last time I had spent time around any dragons besides Sophia. It was a small tribe of nomads in the unclaimed lands. There were a few dark dragons who helped me learn the few spells I _did _know.

"Is anyone going to stay focused?" Selene suddenly said, bringing both me and Rose out of our memories.

"No." I said sarcastically. I was a little upset now, perhaps because I was becoming thirsty after nearly 2 days of not hunting. "Anyway, I thought we pretty much have a plan set. We rest here for a few hours, try to catch some sleep, then continue to Orlando, stay at your condo for a few days more, then return to Otros Tierras to stay with the dragons."

"Yes, but what I would like to know is if we should try to find _something _for us all? Perhaps a few small snacks from a convenience store, something to tide us over?" I groaned quietly.

"I guess one of us goes above ground and gets that, then?"

"Yes. And I nominate you, because you are the least conspicuous. And you can catch yourself something small in the process." I nodded.

"Just show me the nearest exit and which way the store is."

The next 4 days were awkward. Traveling while carrying Brandon and Jared had become tiresome for both me and Rose. We ended up being a day behind Selene's original plan. We didn't end up through the hidden portal into Otros Tierras until midnight after 2 days in the Orlando condo. Sneaking through the others trying to use the entrance with two humans would've been much more difficult if one of my old friends hadn't been the 'operator' keeping people calm. He held everyone back, claiming that the portal had colapsed and needed to reopened. That gave us just enough time to sneak through.

We sat down the boys, walking freely. I inhaled deeply. Magic and energy flowed strongly in the air, and the moon was shining brightly. Perfect for me, though Rose seemed less than happy about it being nighttime. The flat grassland was beautiful in moonlight.

"Selene, how far until we are on dragon land?"

"Walking, a few minutes. Running, 30 seconds max."

"Right. I opt for walking. I'm exhausted." She glanced to the side at me, but walked forward without a word. The rest of us followed just as quietly. I noticed Rose holding Jared's hand and leaning against him slightly. I resisted the urge to laugh. It seemed that she had went from hating him to being inseperable in a day.

After only a few minutes, a distant object appeared in the sky. As it neared, it became clearer. It's stong legs, with long talons that could rip steal to shreds. Then more of it's bat-like wings, with a single horn on each joint. Then it's body, hard scales and several rows of threatening spikes. A long tail ending in a scythe-shaped blade. Finally, as it pointed downward for a decent, it's head. A long, pointed snout, that somewhat resembled a beak. It had six curved horns, three on each side of it's head. It's eyes were slanted slightly, flicking cautiously between each of us. I could tell just by it's shape that it was a dark dragon.

Selene bowed respectfully. I followed suit, honored by such a beautiful creature. However, Rose and the boys stayed upright. "Mighty dragon, we seek entrace onto your land for peaceful refuge." Selene spoke.

"There is no need to be so formal. I know who you are. The runnaway princess, Selene Hale, and the Enlace half-elf Rose. Though I am curious, why do you bring humans?" The words came from his mind, sent directly to all of us. He stretched his neck to get a closer look at Brandon, then Jared. Rose edged closer, subtly, but the serpent still saw. "And with an attachment, I see." She stared on, tense.

"They were in the wrong place, at the wrong time. They became caught up in our mess, and now they're being chased as well." He turned to Selene quickly.

"From Earth? Not from here?" She nodded slowly, very serious. "Are you mad?" She turned towards me, but continued.

"I said the same thing. But they have adjusted well, and I have confidence in them." The dragon lifted it's head and looked up. Another massive shape, quickly forming into a similar, but much more sleek body.

With a loud thump, Sophia slammed down hurriedly. Rose ran to her side, flinging into the space at the base of the great animals neck, between the shoulder blades. Sohpia jumped into the air again, circling several times at high altitude before spiraling slowly back down.

"She is a rather excited dragon, isn't she?" The black dragon said.

Sohpia took the time to address Selene and I. "Noelle, Selene, it has been some time since I saw either of you."

"It has. But I assure you that you've been missed by us all." I said this, though Selene's response was quiet to my ears.

"Drakos, you haven't given them any trouble?"

"Very little." He nodded his head towards us. "You may enter, but Sophia must stay at your side at all times. And please, stay on the outskirts of her village as much as possible. If anyone asks why you are there, say that I, Drakos, have sent you with high regard. You would be wise to avoid squabbles with the recent upset of elves. Seems they have began to believe that we are on they're rightful land, though we were here long before them."

"They recently found one of the ancient scrolls that proves they lived on this land years ago. I think it was during the dragon wars, when you migrated away for a few hundred years. But they can't date it, so they assume it means they were born here." It was always suprising how Selene talked about the elves like she wasn't one, but then would act as though she missed them. She was complicated.

"Yes." He was quiet for a moment, as Sohpia landed and Rose gently climbed down. He explained that we had to stay together, then turned on me. "You are a vampire, no?"

"Yes, of the Blood Moon Clan, though I have never joined them."

"Then why do you hold such magic? I would take you for an elf if I hadn't seen so many."

"But, there are no dark elves."

"Yes, I know, dark magic doesn't reside in the species except in Princess Selene and a few rare spellcasters. But, you have enough magic to pass for one easily." Selene faced me, but spoke to the Drakos.

"I only see slight magic in her. Certainly not to the equivalent of an elf." He laughed.

"Of course that is all you would see. But she has a dragon's heart, and our magic."

"How could I have dragon magic? I was born a human, turned into a vampire by a pureblood. How could dragon blood ever ended up in me?" He lowered his head very close, so that I could've touched him.

"That is a question we should seek an answer to, young one." We all turned, as Jared's yells filled the air for a few seconds. Before our laughter drowned him out. Rose had put him on Sophia, behind her, and the had taken off completely vertical. If Rose hadn't held his arms, he likely would've fell. But after a minute he seemed to start enjoying it. Sohpia started doing flips and other tricks, at some pointing turning completely upside down. She dropped down much more gracefully this time, in less of a rush. He slid from her back carefully, testing his legs when he got down as though it was his first time walking. Rse tackled him from behind, and they fell laughing.

"I never thought I would see an Enlace, with any elf blood at all, fall so deeply in love with a human."

"I never thought I would see Rose fall in love with anyone." I said under my breath. It was amazing how much fun they seemed to be having, not letting each other get up. They were looking like children. My thoughts flashed to Brandon. Drakos spoke to only me, not letting the others hear.

"I've never met someone with such a difficult past as you. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't love again." I looked towards him.

"I still love. Rose is my sister, and Selene is a dear friend. Even though I'm not worthy to love them, I still love my parents."

"But you haven't connected with anyone, not on _their _level." He indicated Rose and Jared with his head. The two were finally standing, still laughing.

"I don't think anyone deserves the love of someone as low as me." I hung my head, before a sharp blow to my back knocked me over. Everyone stilled, watching as Drakos roared and returned his tail, the weapon against me, behind him.

"You shouldn't be so stubborn. Yours is not a weak love. If anything, you are _above _most recipients!" He still wasn't allowing anyone else to listen in, though the look on Selene and Rose's faces indicated that they heard it all. I coughed and picked myself up slowly. He was strong.

"I don't think I deserve to be loved by someone _else_!" Even though our conversation had been silent, telepathic, I had the feeling that everyone had heard. Then I saw Selene and Rose simultaniously filling Brandon and Jared in.

"You need love." His eyes closed, concentrating like Selene had. I sighed and gave him a moment to read someone's mind, though I could tell it wasn't my own. Then his eyes snapped open, his lips pulling back into what was sort of a smile. "You have it, if only you would accept it." He directed his attention to the entire group then, addressing them all. "I must return to my rounds, but I bid you safe passage." He looked to Sohpia, most likely ordering her to do something, then quite suddenly jumped into the air. His speed was amazing, being gone in only a few seconds.

"Noelle." Selene said, very sternly. "You should listen to him."

"And you should mind your own business." I snapped. I growled as I took a few steps and realized how extensive the damage to back was.

"Are you ok, Noelle?" Rose asked quietly from behind. I turned.

"I'm fine!" It was more a snarl than words. She flinched, but stood her ground. Selene grabbed my arm roughly and yanked me forward, everyone following. I snatched myself loose angrily.

We only walked for half an hour before Rose gasped, causing us all to turn. Jared had fallen asleep walking, leaning on her and nearly falling. After a quick glance it was aparent that Brandon was near the same stage.

"We should stop to rest. There's no way we can make it to the villages by tonight."

"I could fly you all about half the way, but I am tired myself." Sophia's voice sounded weak, matching her wobbly stance. Rose gently put Jared down in the grass and wlked over, putting her hand on the great serpents side lovingly. They were very close.

"You shouldn't tire yourself with games, Sophia. Besides, you know Selene is going to tire you with exercises now." Her head turned.

"Perhaps you would have done better hiding on Earth instead of in Otros Tierras."

"Why?"

"Because it wouldn't involve work for me." Rose and Selene laughed. I had already sat down, and was focusing on the moon's energy, the warm breeze, and the overall pleasant night. Plus, I was hoping the energy might get rid of the pain in my back.

Brandon came and lay down to my right. I didn't look over. "How can you sit and stare at the moon all night like that?"

"I'm dark. It provides me with more dark magic. I thought we went over this before."

"We did. I was just making sure. And it's still wierd."

"We've also been over how it's only wierd to humans."

"Yeah." He sighed. It wasn't long before I looked back to the make-shift campsite to see a roaring fire. Rose had already put Jared beside Sohpia, who was falling asleep fast. Selene and Rose were in the process of pulling out left-over fish sticks, their favorite, to reheat over the open flame. I looked back to the sky, wishing I was alone, before I heard a slight snore. I glanced to the side, where Brandon was already sound asleep.

The morning led to 2 hours of walking and several other layers of patrols stopping us. It was midmorning by the time we reached the massive hut that belonged to Sophia. Since doors of that size were impractical, there was just a long sheet of cloth with her name in the dragon's language of scratches and prints.

The inside was simple. Since they spent so much time outside, it was typical for the homes to be no more than a place to relax or sleep. There was a large pad from their rough cloth, though I had no idea what it was filled with, and a desk covered in ordered rows of paper and a few bottles of ink. Sophia nearly collapsed on her bed, panting.

"How can you stand this heat?" She complained, laying her head down sideways and breathing deeply. Rose walked over and rubbed her neck very gently. It was obvious how tight the conection between the two was.

Everyone was silent, as there was nothing left to say. Selene was looking at an Icentaitcian map of Otros Tierras. It seemed Rose had taken to teaching Jared the elvish language, and it didn't look like that was going too well. After quickly asking permission, Brandon had climbed onto the massive desk and began writing something Irish. I followed him up, though I took to reading the things Sohpia had written. It was funny that I hadn't learned Icentaitcian, which was much more wide-spread, but I knew the dragon language so well, I could have a conversation with these dragons, who were raised on it.

There were almost fifty pages of the writing, an account of her teachings that year. Dragons stayed in school for nearly 200 years, because they could live to be two thousand or older. I found their history especially fascinating.

Sophia jumped up, surprising everyone. Then she laughed at us all, still in shock from the sudden movement. "You are a herd of babies."  
"No, we're a herd of people who have had to flee from everyone most of our lives. Give us a break." Selene growled. It was normal for her to be upset when her planning was disrupted.

"Relax. Noelle, I'm going to hunt. Would you like to join me?"

"Certainly." She stood and stretched, walking gracefully outside with me behind her. She waited until we were outside of the mass of huts to take to the skies. Normally, I would have ridden on her back, but this was almost tradition for us. Whenever I visited with Rose, we would go on a hunt together. She would fly, and at first I would try to keep up on the ground. It wasn't very hard, unless she was having a good day, like today. When we got to the hunting grounds, we would see who caught something first. We couldn't argue ovver biggest, though, as she swollowed the roaming gazell and other deer-like grazers in a single gulp.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I focused on the small candle wick, my eyes closed. A massive blast sent me to the ground, just as the room filled with the deep laughter of a dragon.

"Less power this time, child." His voice was friendly, but it was still a command. Drakos, having finished his rounds the night before, had taken the initiative to try to teach me more spells.

"Maybe fire just isn't my thing. Normally hours of work don't bother me, but this is hours without any improvement at all."

"Well, you have started to make real fire instead of a simple spark. Isn't that a rather significate improvement? Try again." I huffed and stood, trying again. This time, something different happened.

I still used too much power, so there was more a small fireball than a anled flame, but it was lit. Drakos snaked his neck around the furniture for a closer look at me.

"You see? You still use too much power, but the candle is lit and burning brightly." He backed up. "You are most peculiar. Again." He blew out the candle. I was about to light it again, when Selene burst into the hut and spun in front of me.

"They've found us, already. And they took Jared and Brandon. Rose is already chasing them, and you know as well as anyone we can't let her catch them alone." I nodded, following her to a waiting Sophia.

"She's still on foot, but her speed is impressive. She loves Jared very much, you know." Sophia said in our minds as we climbed on. "And so soon." She was full of concern.

"They were meant to be together. She has every right to want to chase him down, but she should've been more careful about it. Following outright is dangerous."

"But we will catch her, and then we will easily be able to follow these troublesome elves with our own sight." She was already in the air, and flying fast. The wind was trying desperately to knock Selene and I from our seats, such was the force it imparted.

We caught up to Rose quickly, but there was a certain problem. We found her unconscious on the ground. We shook her awake easily, but she was confused.

"What... huh?"

"Rose! Are you alright?" Selene was in front of her, frantic.

"I don't know. Where's Jared at, Shelby? Why does my head hurt?" She put a hand onto her head, wincing when she touched the spot. Selene turned back to me.

"They've knocked her out, and now she can't tell Selene from Shelby."

"These are very skilled opponets to get around her like that. Especially in a blind fury."

"I was thinking they were elites from Icentaitcia. I think I was wrong. They have training that the royal family didn't even get. I believe they are from one of the outlying villages."

"There are so many, though. How would we find the right one?"

"Easy. There are only three villages that train this hard."

"That sounds a little _too _easy. What's the catch?"

"All three are organized clans. The whole paint-and-tribal-music-and-dance kind of clan. They all have 'gods', which are pretty much hidden power-seekers who want someone to follow them. And I guess one of them didn't like us."

"How are we supposed to defeat a whole clan of highly trained warriors? Or 3?"

"I have no idea. We don't officially know that it's them, anyway."

"They might be humans." We both turned to Rose, who had apparently cleared her mind. "I've heard of humans like that. SOme organization brainwashes them and uses them as killers most times, except for the occasional job like this one."

"Humans can't use magic anymore, though. So they can't make themselves fast enough to avoid us." Rose shook her head, her face becoming solid, like it always did when she was in an argument that she was sure she would win.

"Their blood still has traces of it, or else Noelle and every other vampire wouldn't be able to use it as a food source. An elf or some kind of user could train them, coax it out so that they became spellcasters."

"I don't think it's quite that simple. Only certain humans still have _enough _magic to use it. And even then, it wouldn't keep them moving at that rate for quite so long. Perhaps a minute. Maybe two." I shrugged. This conversation wasn't very interesting. I was tempted to turn and pursue the mysterious threat myself. But, I couldn't leave Rose or Selene behind like that.

"And who's to say that there isn't some kind of external souce of magic, assuming they aren't just elves? We don't know everything out there, not even close." Rose had stood, hands on her hips, trying to look superior. She was still sure that she was the winner, even though we weren't _really _arguing that much.

"Whatever it is," Selene said loudly, getting our attention, "They are getting away as we speak. And we have a dragon. They do not." Sophia was looking rather displeased, angrily clawing words into the soft dirt. She seemed to be writing random thoughts on our targets, whoever they were, and where they might be from here, how far, lots of things. Yet she seemed sure of what she was writing. She lifted her head just has she lowered her back for us to fling ourselves on.

"They will be nearing the Land of Soulless Tears. That is where they are heading." She barely finished before leaping verticaly into the air, and with an almighty flap of her wings, soaring striaght up into a cloudy sky.

"Where did the cloauds come from?" I asked, turning back to Selene, who seemed to have noticed at the same time.

"It was sunny moments ago..." She trailed off, looking down like she always did when deep in thought.

"Something bad is happening. Something very bad." Rose mumbled, leaning forward against Sophia as she leveled out, then sent herself forward on a burst of speed. She repeated this several times before lowering and searching the grassy fields below. The grass was quickly disappearing, giving way to bare patches of dirt and weeds.

Rain began to dribble from the thickening clouds. Sophia ducked below them, all of us ignoring the water. A massive, eerie-looking tree loomed up ahead. Sophia suddenly growled and dove towards the ground, landing firmly in front of a group shrouded in suits. Long hoods hid their faces in shadow. A single horse followed quietly, without any harness or restraint. It didn't even seemed alarmed by the dragon standing in front of it.

Sophia roared, obviously thinking of them as the kidnappers. Rose slid from her back, walking forward calmly. The entire group bowed in unison, then the shortest one, in the back, stepped forward.

"Princess Rose, I fear you have misplaced us. Unless it is only the mighty Sophia who mistakes us for an enemy." It was a girl, her voice high pitched but quiet. She had a strong oriental accent. Sophia had been standing in an offensive position, small burst of fire erupting from her nostrils with each breath. Rose gave her a look, speaking through their link, and she stood striaght. Selene slid down after Rose, but I stayed where I was. I wasn't ready to trust myself to these strange characters.

"I am no longer a princess. My time has passed."

"What a lie that is. Your time will never end, you just choose to let it fester. But, no more talk of your royalty! The rightful queen of Icentaitcia is in our presence as well!" Her voice was full of glee, as everyone there bowed again. Selene dipped her head politely.

"I am not a queen. I am still but a princess."

"Lies! Why must the princesses all be told so many lies! Your mother was the last queen who died! You were but a few years old! Queen Alkilea took her place after being the advisor, and claimed to be your mother. You were supposed to be told on the dawn of your sixteenth birthday that she was unright, and you were to take the throne right then! And now you... you are still being lead down the same path. Unjust!" Her arm shot up, gloved hand forming a finger pointing to the sky. Her arm rolled downward quickly, then aimed at Selene. "You do not believe the truth!" Selene's face was clearly doubtful. She didn't believe a word of it. Smart.

"No. I don't. It is absurd and stupid to even consider such. Queen Alkilea is my mother, of that I am sure. And that invalidates everything else you just said." The girl let her arm drop. She stared for a moment, then pulled the hood back slowly. Her thin face was pulled tight. THe more the hood fell, the more of her pony tail shown. She then pulled the rest from underneath the tight suit. It was a thin strip of hair, but it reached all the way down to her ankles. Her eyes opened slowly, suddenly appearing tired. Or like this was all a waste of time.

"Then I guess the personal story technique isn't working. Plan B, then." She half turned. Four of her followers ran to back of the group, which was thoroughly hidden by tightly packed bodies. They returned, carrying limp forms in pairs of two. It took me a moment to recognize, but I leapt down and stood beside a tense Rose. "Oblige, and we don't take them into the Tree of Tears and let the beasts slowly, and rather painfully, tear them to bits. All we want is for Selene to come with us. We won't hurt her. Just keep her locked up for the rest of her life."

"No! Release them! Or _you _will be the ones gonig to the Tree!" Rose yelled loudly, with an odd dark tone. The skinny girl laughed, a knife flicking from within her sleeve. She casually walked over and held it against the first ones throat.

"I do not think you would be so bold. I never specified that the _only_ way I would kill them is to give them to the beast." Rose straightened, her mouth opening slightly in confusion.

"Jared..." She mumbled it weakly, glancing back to Selene, then to Jared's unconsious body. She repeated it several times, then clawed at her hair and groaned. "How can I do this? Jared or Selene? What kind of question _is _that?" I stared continuously at Brandon. Why was I begining to feel as confused as Rose looked? I was still not supposed to care about him. Jared was with Rose, so I actually had a reason to care about him. But Brandon? He should still have been insignifigant.

"Let them go. I'll be fine, anyway. Weather they are lying or not, even if they kill me, it's not like I have much to lie for anyway." Selene walked forward, just inches from the girl in the front. "Drop them." She waved her hands, and the men put Brandon and Jared down softly on the grass. Selene walked to them, as the captured her outstretched arms and tied them together behind her. She turned around and smiled apologeticly.

"Well. Bravo. You do put up an excelent show. But, we have what we came for, and Queen Alkilea can rule without worry of someone finding out that you belong on the throne." We all looked to her curiously. "Oh, you didn't know? I wasn't lying." She laughed, a twisted sound from the depths of a sick person. "But we must make our leave." She shouted something to the rest on them, turned, and they were all gone. The horse stared at us for a moment.

Something strange happened then. The horse changed. It's form semmed to just melt into the shape of a tall girl. Her hair was shooting from the top of her head at odd angles, yet hanging loose and straight behind her. A bright grin stretched across her lips.

"It worked! They fell for it!" Her voice was much lower, and just as quiet. She had an accent, but just barely. She wore a tight longsleeve shirt, with a thin skirt that went to her knees. Judging by her build, she had done a lot of fighting.

"You pretended to be a horse? Why?" I asked. I didn't know her, and I really didn't care very much, but that mystified me.

"They were after me. They say I killed one of their followers, Yashuno. They chased me into an alley, so I changed into a horse before they could find me. They must've decided that they wanted a horse. I didn't think they would leave me, but I guess that's pretty convenient."

I suddenly realized what had happened, at the same time as Rose. We were both too shocked from what Selene had done. She dropped beside Jared, just as his eyes flickered open. I sat down more slowly, staring at Brandon, who wasn't nearly as close to waking up. He still had a pulse, though, which brought me back to wondering why his blood didn't make me hungry. The horse-girl walked over, kneeling between them.

"They used a pretty simple spell to knock them out. That one didn't respond to the first few, though, so he's way farther gone." She pointed to Brandon. I was lifting his head onto my lap, trying to sense any kind of trace of the spells. Magic, just like physical touch, left behind traceable marks. But there was none.

"This place feels... evil." Jared was saying, while trying to pulling Rose away. She had decided to hug him violently.

"You really love them, don't you two?" The girl said, grinning. "And

don't say you're just close." She looked to my face, which I was sure screamed just that, though I hadn't had the chance to actually say it. "You love him very much. You are bonded." She said the last part more seriously. She closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "And what a strong bond it is." She smiled and jumped up. "Oh well. I'll get my love one day!" Rose looked up oddly at her.

"A bond?" She gasped.

"You don't know what a bond is? Well, you are only half elf, so I guess you wouldn't have been told. A bond is the ultimate connection between any two people. Love brings you close, but a bond brings love. Then, there are other bonds like sisterly or brotherly bonds. You both have bonds. A lot of them. That is a very good thing!" She seemed to realize something. "Oh yeah. I'm Alana. Just Alana."

"Noelle Darkmoone. She's Rose Teniford." Alana nodded.

"Well, it's very nice to meet both of you. You don't mind if I tag along, right? I'm really strong in magic, and I understand most of those crazy operatives' government, if it can be called that." I glanced to Rose. She nodded happily, still trying to sqeeze the life out of Jared.

"Alright, I see no reason you can't. But don't think that means you're our friend yet or anything." She put up her hands defensively.

"I've learned not to befriend anyone without thinking about it. But, I thought about you, and if the Jangren are after you, you can't be all _that _bad."

"I'm assuming Jangren were those freaks who have caused all our problems, unrelentingly."

"Yeah. Psycho freaks if ever there were any." She bent over and stared at me hard. "What?"

"What's up with your eyes? I get that they're red, but why haven't you looked directly at anyone? Faced, yes, but looked.

"Everyone brings it up. I'm blind. Due to some mysterious force that killed my brother, I have been blinded until further notice." She looked at me questionably.

"You can see me. I know that much."

"I don't really know how to explain it." She dropped the subject, and all grew quiet. Until the screams echoed from the tree to our ears.

There were two voices. The first was actually a group, both male and female, of all tones and pitches, screaming out at the eternal agony they experienced within this dark land.

The second, however, was an individual. A girl, much higher pitched than anyone else there. Then, it occured to me. It was more of a battle cry then a srcream, though it came out the same.

Someone came tumbling from the gap in the roots of trees. At first the form moved to much to identify, but refined itself to be a short haired girl. She was very tall and thin, and stood in the offensive position. But what captured my attention were the two thin swords in her hands, dripping with the watery blood of the thousands of beasts now trying to stick their heads out after her. They could not leave the tree, though.

She shouted something at them in a foriegn language. Turned, saw us, and froze. Then, Alana waved stupidly, like she was an old friend. The newest girl glared coldly at her, not letting any emotion show. She dipped and wiped the blades in whatever little patches of grass remained, then slid them gently into the narrow sheathes strapped to her legs.

"I have no interest in you." I then noticed something that made me feel stupid for not seeing it sooner. She had dog ears. And a fluffy dog tail. And they weren't a costume. They were real.

As she stepped closer, even angling away, I caught one more small detail.

She smelled of a human.

But what human had dog traits? None that I had ever met.

"Who are you?" Alana asked, now becoming serious.

"Mitsuki." She didn't miss a beat.

"More importantly, what are you?" This time she stopped and turned.

"I don't know. I am mearly searching for the truth. Which is why I am going to Icentaitcia. They know many things, perhaps what I am will be one of them."

"You are going the wrong way, then." I said. She stared at me.

"Blind. Pathetic. As if I would listen to a blind person? You probably doin't even know which way the tree is." I stood and walked over to her, stopping inches from her face. A bold move, considering the fact that she was now touching the hilts of her blades, but I doubted a sword would be very threatening to me.

"The tree is that way." I said, pointing. "You are going either towards the very edge of the Silverstien Mountains, or going out into open land where you will hit Barock or the ocean. Icentaitcia is that way." I pointed the exact oppsite direction from where she was going.

"Well, then, I apreciate the help, but maybe I would like to get lost with dwarves or baka humans." A single word in Japanese that I knew: baka, meaning idiot. "And as for you, you should be less bold. Lest another human be killed by killed by a superior."

"Human? What kind of human do you think I am, if you are so sure? What kind of human has blood red eyes that are blind, yet can see. What other kind of human can do this," I grabbed her throat. "Before you even have to time to acknowledge that I've moved?"

"Fine." She choked out, as I lifted her off the ground. "You aren't human!"

"Obviously." I dropped her. She glared daggers as I walked back. "We are going to the same way, if you wish to accompany us. But you have to watch that attitude."

"If I weren't going the same way, I wouldn't be seen within a kilometer of any of you." She followed reluctantly.

"What did I say about the attitude?"

"I'm not taking orders from you." I shrugged.

"So be it. I'm trying to avoid a fight." Rose was helping Jared stand dizzily. I picked up Brandon, gently putting him over my back. Mitsuki looked at me oddly, perhaps a mix of envy and disgust. It was hard to tell. She turned and stormed off, still following a crooked path. She fixed herself after we started off, though, and dropped far behind. She continued to mumble in Japanese. I caught a few words, which I will not repeat.


End file.
